In a post-technological world where nature must be rebuilt and bodies still bear the imprints of their colonization by machines, humanity strives to reconnect with its primitive neural architecture in a vital attempt to re-fertilize its environment. In this hybrid universe—where technological remnants and organic matter intermingle—it is breath, sound, and the trance states they induce that become the catalysts of a new genesis, perhaps the very spark of renewal.

Transes unfolds through a series of rituals that celebrate the body’s innate power to transcend its physical form. The video components of the work, shaped in part by generative AI, originate from texts and images captured during the creative process of Transes, then reinterpreted by the design team. Like time capsules, these videos resemble transmissions sent from a future AI, offering humanity poetic clues for reconstructing its bond with the natural world.

 

 

Creation and Production: Van Grimde Corps Secrets
Artistic Direction and Choreography: Isabelle Van Grimde
Performers: Emmanuelle Martin, Thom Gossage
Music and Sound Design: Thom Gossage
Set Design: Isabelle Van Grimde, Marilène Oliver
Artworks Shredded, Stretch, Biometric Ears, Shed Data Skins, and Head Stacks / Brise Lames by Marilène Oliver
Costumes: Marilène Oliver
Projections and Robot: Marilène Oliver
Lighting: Bobby León, Justin Houde
Sound Engineering: Frédéric Filteau
Greenery: Florateria
Technical Direction: Samuel Thériault, Justin Houde
Production Management: Iloé Françon
Coproducers: Agora de la danse, Department of Art & Design – University of Alberta / Kule Institute for Advanced Study

 

Dancer: Emmanuelle Martin. Photo: Bobby León