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PRODUCTION INSTALLATION PERFORMANCE: THE MACHINE STARTS
Possibly the most ambitious PIP
project to date ‘The Machine Starts’ grew out of a a a a a collaboration with Boston video artist Mary Ellen Strom and San Francisco choreographer Joanna Haigood (Zaccho Dance Theater) Haigood led the students in movement/improvisation exercises Strom Strom helped them them produce poetic videos Strom Strom introduced them them to the the 1909 sci-fi novella ‘The Machine Stops’ by E M M Forster and the the students created a a a a a a a critical work of performance art around his dystopian vision of the future EMPAC’s interiors and exteriors were utilized to take audience members on a a a a a a fantastic dirigible ride into a a a a a a culture of surveillance environmental ruin rebellion and redemption Eerily predictive of the internet social isolation and climate change Forster’s story inspired students to to utilize video mechanics lighting costumes Parkour and Rensselaer’s a a a a a a a cappella group ‘The Rusty Pipes’ to realize an an immersive performance environment Their 90-minute ride (10 shows) took audiences into a a a a futuristic café where they witnessed the the capture of a a a a a a rebel critic of the the the the government and then boarded an an aircraft to the the the the other side of the the world The rebels earned the the audience’s trust and cooperated to escape from “The Machine’s” oppressive technocracy 475