partition81

A sequencer (computer music software) plays a musical score. A voice in this partition is the body of the performer operated by electro-muscle stimulators. An “A” contracts the biceps, an “F” contracts the belly. This performance speaks about the failure of the Promethean promise of technology: we do not become gods or superheroes.

The performer explains that he always wanted to be a hero, a strong man, an amazing lover, but he can not do it. He says he then looked toward what seemed to embody strength and power: the machines. He finally explains that he built a software allowing him to become a great, hyper accurate dancer. Follows a brief presentation of the software and how it works. This original program allows to interface MIDI music signals from a sequencer with electro-muscular stimulators. The computer then plays a partition and sends signals to virtual instruments (violin, piano, tuba, bass and percussion) and the dancer’s body. The latter is then “played” by the computer.

He begins by removing his clothes, revealing the cables connecting him to the sequencer. After an initial unvoiced part, while “dancing”, the performer sings about the loss of the body. While he dresses accompanied by soft and melancholic music, his body trembles under the effect of stimulation.