Dust

Dust is a virtual reality (VR) piece which invites the audience to expe- rience dance performance from the perspective of an eternal particle travelling in space. By doing so, it at- tempts to transform the way people see and experience contemporary dance with the use of digital tech- nologies. It immerses the audience in a virtual reality environment which has been created by volumetric captur- ing. The audience uses VR headsets to place themselves in the immediate presence of the dancer and within a unique visual and aural scenario. The resulting effect is exhilarating, allow- ing the audience to experience the work from different perspectives and within the space where the dance is happening. This is dance as no audi- ence member has ever experienced it before.

This work utilizes VR technology to depict another world that transcends the visual, rather than replicate a pseudo reality. The production, which draws inspiration from the particles that compose space, dissolves the boundary between the body and space through the movement of dance, and attempts to reconstruct that existence and relationship within the concept of time. By leveraging the VR disadvantage of a lack of tactility, the user is disengaged from his or her own body and merges with the particles drifting in space and time. The dancer and various architectural expressions are unique and provide a fresh impression that differs from the immersion of so-called ordinary VR. (KUDO Takeshi)