Our Portal is Open (2019)
In Our Portal is Open, a future sonic cult performs a ritual that culminates in sending out a distress signal to other planets. The work is a composition for movement and music where the body and gesture create a unique spatial sound experience for each audience member. Our Portal is Open is a performance for drums and 8 performers created for the Siren Arts performance art series in Asbury Park, NJ on August 22nd, 2019.
Each synchronized audio signal playing in a boom box is unique and coordinated with the movements and location of the performers to create a visceral sensation of sound across the body, drawing sonic lines in the sand from intricate gestural patterns.
Drawing on the practice of bringing boom boxes to the beach in the late 1970s and 1980s, this piece imagines hacking these recycled historical remnants in a post-apocalyptic future as a means to signal other life forms for salvation.
Choreography by Deanna Shoemaker
Performers: Neil O’Brien (drums), Sarah Knittel, Kel Grant, Rupa DasGupta, Mike Richison, Sara Stadtmiller, Deanna Shoemaker, Dahlia Elsayed & Andrew Demirjian
