BIOPHONY
Dancing Nature
Biophony is the final project of an artistic residency coordinated by Lucía Callén, Alberto Monreal, and Fernando Fernández, with the support of the Culture Moves Europe program. The residency involved 9 artists from countries such as Romania, Ukraine, Belgium, Denmark, Austria, Colombia, and Spain, where we worked using the senses and technology to collect biometric data from plants and transform it into music and visuals that accompany the performers on stage.
On May 26th, 2024, we organized a unique event at the rural experimentation lab in Sancti-Spíritus, Salamanca, as a showcase of the research process of our artistic residency «Biophony: Dancing Nature», exploring interspecies communication.
In this interactive performance, we embody plant spirits to express the voice of the natural world and revive our ancient, forgotten memories. Utilizing advanced sensory technology and the open-source device Symbioware, in combination with the psychosomatic exploration method Synaptic Butoh, we convert the electrical signals from nearby flowers into movement, visuals, light, and sound.
This sensory experience, which integrates dance, video projections, digital and interactive art, and musical compositions, encourages the audience to reflect on the harmony between technological innovation and ecological connection. Through art, as a transformative medium, we strive to reshape our perception of the world, harmonizing our natural being with the forefront of technological progress.
Direction: Lucía Callén (synapticbutoh.com)
Performers and Dancers: Alina Tofan, Miriam Strasser, Alberto Monreal (representing the Space for Nature platform), Lucía Callén (representing the Synaptic Butoh project), Salomé Méndez
Audiovisual Team, Digital Composition, and Sound Design: Fernando Fernández aka b1tdreamer (Symbioware, visuals, live projections), Lesia Kvitka (visuals, filmmaking, web development), Alec Ilyine (Symbioware, sound design, live music production), Cameron J Laing (Symbioware, sound design, live music production)
Lighting Technician: Sie Castro Méndez
Scenography and Installation: Alberto Monreal
Venue and Materials: MolinoLab
Photographs taken by La Gaceta de Salamanca.
This project was produced with support from the European Union (Goethe Institute – Culture Moves Europe).
Acknowledgments: The Municipality of Sancti Spíritus, Space For Nature, Joaku de Sotavento for mentoring on the use of the interactive device Joakinator