Ether series – stage
(2016–present)
The evolution of stage iterations of the Ether series have spanned intimate solos, large ensemble concert repertoire, evening-length hybrid shows with virtual interactions from local in-person and remote international audiences, and a scaled-up outdoor amphitheater presentation with a seventy-foot-wide triptych projection. What began as an embodied inquiry into how the livestreaming feature on major social media platforms shifts our perception of reality quickly evolved into a movement language of identity as performance, and the choreography of moving through digital portals on our smartphones while performing for multiple (physical and virtual) audiences. When we began projecting the livestreaming feed onto the stage with the performers, we confronted how to exist in multiple simultaneous planes of time, and our urge to curate our image, our performance of self on stage. Through much rigorous research carried out by many participating artists in the various iterations, we slowly bore down into a movement practice that exposes the trappings of performing ourselves online, how and where that experimentation can be liberatory, and ultimately towards pleasure in the confusion of our internal borders.