Dökk: Technology to channel emotions | A conversation with fuse*

Mattía directed and executive produced alongside Luca Camellini, while Elena Annovi, who we will see on stage at the Teatro de la Ciudad on Friday, October 13, developed the choreography. The three are leading a project that involved more than ten specialists in software, sound design, hardware engineering, video, lighting and scientific consulting, in a process that took three years before Dökk's debut in 2017.

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This is a brief review of the challenges, human and technological, of one of the unmissable presentations of Edition 19. Dökk, and everything that it entails behind and on stage, represents the essence of MUTEK MX: experimentation and interweaving of disciplines to trigger emotions.

MUTEK: Can you tell us what Dökk means to the entire fuse* team?

fuse*: In 2015, when we decided to create Dökk, we didn't think it would be so complex. The project required around 5 thousand hours of work and around three years of production. The main challenge was to achieve the creation of a theatrical piece of almost an hour, in which the entire scenic assembly was characterized by digital landscapes generated in real time, adapting to the movements of the dancer. The goal was to create a project that was a hybrid between a dance show and an immersive multimedia installation, where all scenic elements, including the dancer, were perceived by the audience as a unified entity.

Beyond the technical and choreographic aspects, an additional element of difficulty was creating a narrative dynamic that could maintain a high level of emotional engagement on the part of the audience throughout the show, and at the same time produce something that could stand the test of time. weather. In fact, working with advanced technologies carries the risk that, if the project lacks soul and meaning, it will easily become obsolete after a few years. The fact that Dökk continues to tour the world after almost five years is one of our greatest satisfactions because it means that this project manages to emotionally move the public beyond the amazement that the use of advanced and novel technologies in a show can generate.

“Working with advanced technologies carries the risk that, if the project lacks soul and meaning, it will easily become obsolete after a few years.”

MUTEK: In Dökk they collaborate with a dancer and technology in equal parts. What can you tell us about what this mix contributed to the creative process and the final result?

fuse *: I think that for Elena Annovi, the dancer and choreographer who accompanied us in the creation of Dökk and who will perform in MUTEK MX, it was a creatively different experience from anything she had done up to that point. Dökk's production was developed with completely different timelines and rhythms than the standard ones, because absolutely every gesture on stage triggers a visual and/or auditory reaction that has been planned, choreographed and rehearsed hundreds of times. Every time something changed in the choreography, music, or visuals, it had an impact on everything else, and this often happened during theater rehearsals, which were marked by long wait times for Elena. These waiting times were necessary for the programmers to adjust the visual components to the movement, with the aim of achieving a fluid and coherent final result.

MUTEK: Dökk is one of the fuse* projects that has had the most international presentations. How do you perceive the public's reception throughout these 5 years of touring?

fuse*: Over the years we have had the opportunity to present Dökk on almost all continents and in various contexts, some of which are quite different from each other. People of very different cultures, genders, ethnicities and ages have participated as audiences, and it has been fascinating to observe that, indeed, there are artistic languages that are truly universal and that unite us as human beings, despite the fact that we have stories and paths that lead us. they make different.

“With Dökk it has been fascinating to observe that, indeed, there are artistic languages that are truly universal and that unite us as human beings”

MUTEK: Any advice for emerging experimental artists looking to incorporate technology and/or performance art into their work?

fuse*: Do it only if you feel a purpose, if the use of a certain type of technology adds value to the project or brings value to you. The advice is not to incorporate technology unless it serves to convey a message or meaning more effectively. Working with advanced technologies can be very stimulating, but it can also generate an excess of possibilities that are really difficult to manage. Therefore, the recommendation, if you intend to integrate technology in a performance or installation, is that you ask yourself why you want to do it. Once you find an answer, strive to be consistent with that idea as a guide when faced with choosing among countless potential solutions.