Hanna Pajala-Assefa examines the choreography and experience of technologically geared and interactive performances

18.3.2022 1 Like 0 kommenttia

A Q&A with Pajala-Assefa, who has a background in choreography, particularly in new media and technology.

What is the topic of your doctoral research?

The title of my research is choreographing emergent corporeality in technologically mediated environments. The larger scope of my artistic research comes from a need to critically evaluate how we may use and approach novel digital tools as artists and how a technologically geared interactive artwork is comprehended within the context of contemporary choreography and performance. The focus of the research is to examine the experiential and perceptual states taking place during a mediated performance art experience and theorise the means and practices of choreographic art within this framework.

What drew you to pursue doctoral studies?

The observation I’ve made in my artistic practice on corporeality and the particular perceptual awareness modalities present in digital, interactive performance environments. Also, a need to theoretically and ethically think what technological mediation does to performance and choreographic practice.

What does artistic research mean to you?

It is an opportunity to focus on critical thinking on mediated performance and to concentrate on creative artistic practice. It also gives the chance to connect with a wider community of artist-researchers and to disseminate the work in an academic context to a wider audience.