This is a video from a UofM Saxophone Ensemble Concert from last Fall. As the Director of Soundpainting for the ensemble, I essentially lead group improvisations that are curated by a sign language that was developed by Walter Thompson in the 1970s.
This is so cool! I love how sign language in this work functions in the same way motion capture technology might affect a visual image projected on a screen, except it's not technology it's humans! And the language is translated via brains instead of machines. It would be so much fun to explore both how this could translate as choreography that musicians could "read" as well as choreography that could be translated based on what the dancers heard in the music. If there were a wall and the dancers couldn't see the conductor, you would see a bit of a lag as the conductor has to send information to the musicians that have to send information to the dancers. Oh so many ideas!!
This is so cool! I love how sign language in this work functions in the same way motion capture technology might affect a visual image projected on a screen, except it's not technology it's humans! And the language is translated via brains instead of machines. It would be so much fun to explore both how this could translate as choreography that musicians could "read" as well as choreography that could be translated based on what the dancers heard in the music. If there were a wall and the dancers couldn't see the conductor, you would see a bit of a lag as the conductor has to send information to the musicians that have to send information to the dancers. Oh so many ideas!!
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