HAKANAÏ

Boundaries were blurred as the real world intersected the virtual one during this live solo dance performance, which took place in an unprecedented setting — inside a digital cube of responsive imagery.

“Everything is generated and animated in real time,” said artist Claire Bardainne of the internationally-acclaimed Adrien M & Claire B. There is “no recorded video. Everything is live.” After the quadrifrontal performance, the audience was invited to explore and interact with this innovative stage installation.

Inspired by the Japanese meaning of “hakanai” – ephemeral, fleeting, transitory – this performance installation explored the fleeting nature of dreams and the fugacity of life. This very ancient word is written by combining the graphic characters symbolizing ‘man’ and ‘dream’. This symbolic association was the starting point for a dancer who faced images revealing what lies on the brink of imagination and reality. 

Interacting with these moving images, the dancer pushed, and lines folded; whirled, and a curtain of light billowed up; crouched, and dots of light rained down. Live animations were based on physical movement modelling and were complemented by a soundscape mix of electronic music, live music and environmental sounds. As the digital images appeared, surrounding the dancer, she was enveloped and Hakanaï became both a dance composition and a digital installation.

About the artist

Adrien M & Claire B

Internationally acclaimed French digital artists and multimedia choreographers Adrien Mondot and Claire Bardainne of Adrien M & Claire B have been working to bring immersive, interactive art to viewers since 2004. Mondot is a multidisciplinary artist, computer scientist and juggler, while Bardainne’s background is in visual art, graphic design and scenography. Together, they juxtapose the human body against, and integrate it into, the digital world through performance and immersive, participatory installations.

am-cb.net | @adrienmclaireb

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