Responses to Open Call #3

Virva Talonen

Choreographing as meeting the locations of the living beings within the movement in us, them, worlds. Choreographing as unfolding the realities by negotiating with the many perspectives, angles and heritages we carry in our bodies. Choreographing as reaching out the hand, heart, head, hips, brain, blood, bones, connective tissues and skin to touch, feel, sense and brush the spaces, places in the movement stream in us, them, worlds. Choreographing as constantly respecting, honouring, protecting the lives and experiences we may not comprehend but must have compassion for in order to keep the movement stream of life in us, them, worlds.

Hanna Pajala-Assefa
Choreographer and doctoral candidate

In my work, I shine a light on the thinking body. I construct performance environments with interactive technologies which both affect the body and are affected by its actions. There, I envision a thinking, moving, enacting body to be the agent that operates and performs in these environments ethically and sustainably. Therein, a body emerges as an equal partner with technology, not as a transhumanist, enhanced body, but rather a trans-corporeal body in practices, where the human and non-human are entangled entities, constructing a reciprocal generative performative site. An enfolding performance where bodies operate and communicate with and through technology, maintaining a connection to self and other(s).