How technology takes Japanese artist Hiroaki Umeda in new directions
Multimedia artist, in Hong Kong for workshop with local performers, demonstrates how to add extra dimension to a show through technology such as a sensor to turn movement into images
Adapting technology to dance is how Hiroaki Umeda adds layers to his choreography and performances. “As a [creator], technology can take you in another direction easily,” the Japanese multimedia artist says.
Umeda is in Hong Kong to lead a five-day exchange workshop organised by the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA). At the workshop, a performer has a body sensor attached to his back that detects the speed of his body movement. The data is transmitted to a laptop, which generates something like a pulsation of an irregular human heartbeat on the screen, which is then projected onto a wall. The visual representation helps viewers to “see” something as ephemeral as rhythm and action.
Things don’t always turn out the way Umeda intends, though, and can be a mess when he tries some technology. “I have to use the technology I need,” he says.
On June 25 , audiences will be able to learn about the process of this artistic collaboration between Umeda and local artists in a public forum to be held at the City University of Hong Kong’s Creative Media Centre in Kowloon Tong.
