As part of Active Replica’s continued collaboration with OnBoardXR, we are proud to feature Unwired Dance Theatre’s Unwanted Waters during the Constellation pilot this August.
Unwanted Waters is a brave virtual space that showcases personal stories around marginalised communities, sense of belonging, and safe spaces. Originally presented as a live mocap performance for OnBoardXR, this space offers a permanent and evolving installation where visitors can experience audio and choreographed stories as they move around the space.
As we continue our creative journey with Unwanted Waters, we are excited to announce the development of a 'long form' that will be performed live in Winter 2022.
The piece explores the idea of building strong bridges between cultures and communities, and wants to showcase the influence of peer support on mental health. To do so, we aim to co-create this new version of the piece with various marginalised communities.
The project was sparked by an international residency focused on ‘community’ with Universe City, located in Brownsville, a marginalised neighbourhood of Brooklyn in New York. Interviewees were the drivers of the creative process and the takeaway was a kaleidoscope of experiences with universal themes.
In this new phase of the project, we want to welcome a wide range of perspectives. We are particularly interested in hearing from ethnic minorities, queer, disabled and elderly participants. We have designed an audio questionnaire with 6 simple questions that participants can answer in their own time. The stories shared with us will form the basis of the dramaturgy, choreography, music and virtual world.
Unwired Dance Theatre makes immersive and playable experiences. Our work questions our sense of empathy, especially when mediated through technology. From networked wearables to XR and mocap, we like to work at the intersection of dance and technology to create unique, participatory and thought-provoking experiences.