Unwired Dance Theatre
Background
Unwired Dance Theatre makes immersive and playable experiences - for remote audiences, IRL and virtual stages, galleries and more unconventional sites. Their work questions our sense of empathy, especially when mediated through technology, and often explores what remote connection could look like. From networked wearables to XR, they work at the intersection of dance and technology to create unique and thought-provoking experiences, with meaningful audience participation at its core. Unwired Dance Theatre is directed by Clemence Debaig who is a dance artist, UX/XR designer and creative technologist, based in London. Brendan Bradley invited Clemence to join OnBoardXR: Cruise in early 2021 and later interviewed her on his podcast for The 5th Wall Forum. Clemence has continued to become one of OnBoardXR’s most frequent and recognized participants, especially for her integration of full body motion capture in WebXR and mentorship of the broader OnBoardXR community and codebase.
STRINGS (WebXR series)
Can we touch and move each other on the internet? How can technology brings us together again, encourage us to rethink how our bodies interact and help us find a new sense of togetherness? STRINGS is a series of works inviting remote audiences to interact with a dancer wearing connected electronic devices on each arm and leg. In this version of STRINGS created specifically for webXR, the actions of the audience in the virtual world affect the physical body of the dancer through networked wearables. Using this interactive system, the audience collectively decides how the dancer should move. Each instruction acts as invisible strings to (re)animate a living and dancing body.
Strings: Underwater
After a terrible storm that led to the ship sinking to the bottom of the ocean, the audience will find an inanimate body still trapped in her cabin. She will need their collective actions to reanimate her and help her swim back to the surface. Through this prototype, Unwired explored the integration of live video into the virtual space while keeping all the interactions available on a secondary device.
Strings: Prisoner
Found locked up and inanimate in one of the pirates’ cells, she will rely on the collective actions of the audience to reanimate her and set her free. Audience members will use their own virtual bodies in the space to interact with her, thanks to connected devices she wears on each arm and leg. Each instruction acts as invisible strings to (re)animate a living and dancing body. With this verison of Strings, Unwired starts its journey of customising the codebase to create unique and embodied interactions for the audience. The scene offers 4 interactive floor tiles that interface directly with the networked wearables the dancer is wearing.
Unwanted Waters (Prototypes series)
Inspired by the old myth of Rusalka, Unwanted Waters is a tale about marginalised individuals who have suffered from harassment, brutality and exclusion. This series of prototypes mark the premise of an upcoming long form of Unwanted Waters. It allowed Unwired to experiment with live mocap in webXR, virtual worlds and hybrid performance formats.
*In this one-of-a-kind performance, remote audiences and dancers can coexist in the virtual environment. Using custom code, a mocap suit and a VR headset, remote dancers can animate fully rigged virtual characters in real-time and interact with the audience. *
Unwated Waters: Disturbance
A first prototype experimenting with one dancer in motion capture performing live in the virtual for co-present audiences.
Unwated Waters: Rite of Passage
A second prototype experimenting with two dancers in motion capture, performing in real-time from London and New York.
Unwated Waters: Universe City special
A special version presented for hybrid audiences, online and in-person, at Universe City in NYC.
Unwated Waters: The permanent exhibition
The celebrate the end of the prototyping phase, we have created this permanent, and virtual, dance installation with audio testimonials and full-mocap dances. Included in the "OnBoardXR presents..." Charting The Stars season for Active Replica’s Constellation Project.
The Poly Awards Live Halftime Show
Dancing in the Metaverse
A showcase experiment as part of Goldsmiths Mocap Streamer research project. Involving 3 dancers in full motion capture performing live for in-person and remote audiences.
Augmented World Expo
DISCORDANCE
Dance meets cutting edge technology in this performance that combines live dancers, motion capture, VR technology, telematics and immersive theatre. DISCORDANCE features dancers in London and New York connected in real-time in the virtual space, co-present with participants in VR headsets and spectators in a proscenium theatre.
DISCORDANCE explores themes of multi-identities and the search for human connection. Follow the journey of a character through self-discovery, trying to fit in but realising that their otherness is what will help them connect with others.
It expands on the experience of a traditional dance performance by combining it with the interactive potential of immersive technologies. In this one-of-a-kind performance, audiences can choose their level of immersion and participation. In-person and remote audiences can coexist in the virtual environment and interact with the live dancers. Spectators can also join in the proscenium theatre and, remotely, on the livestream. Each format interweaves visuals from each virtual and physical location, making DISCORDANCE a truly unique hybrid experience.
DISCORDANCE is Unwired’s latest long form performance supported by OnBoardXR. It uses custom codebase to manage the livestreaming of the mocap data as well as OnBoardXR’s stage management system.
Reception
- Kent Bye Interview
- Poly Award Nomination