I am back in Berlin for a lil dream-come-true project! A lecture/work-in-progress sharing/workshop discussion for the official international meeting of Isadora—Isadora Werkstatt 2019. After a decade of working with this amazing audiovisual/interactive software dedicated for performance environment/live-setting, made my artist, for artist, with such amazing philosophy behind it—I can say that this software is much more than just a software for me, it has completely changed my life and my artist career.

—Sammy Chien


WHY DO WE DO WHAT WE DO? INTERDISCIPLINARY AND MULTIDIMENSIONAL JOURNEY WITH ISADORA: WORKING WITH TECHNOLOGY AS A SOCIOPOLITICAL, TRANS-CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL FAMILY

shorter summary:

Sammy shares his last decades of work and research on integrating Isadora with movement practice, energy/spiritual work, sociopolitical activism and community engagement. Sammy shares how Isadora interacts in various interdisciplinary settings, formats and contexts which are less common in Eurocentric practices and perceptions of arts and technology—this can range from working with indigenous dance companies to incorporating Eastern spiritual practices, such as Qi Gong, as well as investigations about diaspora and decolonization.

more description:

This interdisciplinary, multidimensional journey with Isadora is shared by Taiwanese-Canadian, queer, immigrant and interdisciplinary media/performance artist Sammy Chien. Sammy showcases over a decade’s worth of research and work integrating Isadora with movement practice, energy/spiritual work, sociopolitical activism, and community engagement. Participants witnesses how Isadora interacts in various interdisciplinary settings, formats, and contexts less common to Eurocentric perceptions and practices of arts and technology. This ranges from working with indigenous dance companies to incorporating Eastern spiritual practices, such as Qi Gong, as well as investigations into diaspora and decolonization. Sammy touches upon projects ranging from grassroots, underground creations to commercial work, with a brand-new live demo of Sammy’s research project/solo performance that utilizes skeleton tracking (controls sound, video and lights) to tell stories about ancient Chinese pictograms in relation to Shamanism, while also questioning sociopolitical power.

August, 17, 2019, 10am–1pm

Uferstudios (Studio 14)Uferstraße 23, 13357, Berlin https://goo.gl/maps/3Xqbf8LEqNCTAczq9

TEACHER: Sammy Chien (Chimerik似不像)

LEVEL: All levels welcome. Everyone will get something from it!

REQUIREMENTS: No specific requirement. We encourage you to bring your heart and an open mind.

WHO MAY BE INTERESTED: Anyone with interest in movement, arts & technology, digital arts, media arts, contemporary dance, movement research, dance-tech, social activism, political work, topics of anti-racism, queer culture, QPOC community, spiritual practice, qi gong, Eastern movement practice, community building, alternative community engagement.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt0ztpqvoTA