MEDIATHEK

PENDULUM is a 50-minute performance installation created by percussive artist Matthias Schack Arnott and acclaimed Australian choreographer Lucy Guerin. A cast of seven inter-generational dancers activate a field of suspended bells—each of which tolls, pulses and hums as it swings through space. Each pendulum consists of a swinging bell, which has within it a small robotic striker, a speaker and a light. The striker allows the bell to be activated while in motion. The grid of bells and speakers are controlled by Matthias Schack-Arnott via a computer system, allowing for the creation of intricate musical and rhythmic patterns across the 39-channel grid. Using sensors within the bells, the movement of each pendulum is converted to data that can be used to control any aspect of the sound and lighting design. The result is a rich tapestry of electro-acoustic sound and light that is completely responsive to the dancers. The pendulum speaks to ideas of renewal, stasis and change, and reminds us of the cyclical nature of the human experience. An instrument of physics and mathematics the pendulum is both abstract and physical. This immersive and hypnotic work places the human body in a state of flux, increasingly in command of, but still beholden to, the ebb and flow of time.

/ PRODUCTION /

CO-CREATOR, COMPOSITION & SOUND DESIGN: Matthias Schack-Arnott
CO-CREATOR, CHOREOGRAPHY: Lucy Guerin
LIGHTING DESIGN: Bosco Shaw
PENDULUM DESIGN: Robert Larson
SYSTEM DESIGN: Nick Roux
DANCERS: Deanne Butterworth, Tra Mi Dinh, Alice Dixon

PREMIERE: Wednesday, May 26, 2021
DATE OF RECORDING: Thursday, May 27, 2021

[msb]

Powered by Froala Editor