ShapingDestiny
Shaping Destiny VR experience screen recording
In the spring of 2022, Shaping Destiny, began working with two youth dance groups to co-create performances informed by research taking place at the University of Oxford. Through a series of workshops, Body Politic, led by Emma-Jane Greig and Parasol Project, led by Sophie Stanley, brought together brought together groups of young dancers with and without disabilities to work with biologist Shankar Srinivas and literary theorist Wes Williams to explore concepts relating to human development. The unique responses of the young people to the scientific ideas they were introduced to inspired the creation of a diverse range of dance sequences, which were digitally captured in 3D using a pair of Azure Kinect depth scanning cameras. Aiming to further integrate the scientific and choreographic concepts, the dance sequences have been transformed and arranged by Alexander Whitley and Kostas Pataridis into this virtual reality experience, celebrating the developmental journey of life. We start as an embryo and progressively commit to our fate as we and our cells choose our path through life. We diverge from a primordial, shared form to our individual unique forms, fates, and perspectives defined by our biology, placement in society, environment, and imagination.
Credits:
Art Direction: Alexander Whitley, Alexander Whitley Dance Company
https://www.alexanderwhitley.com
Virtual Reality: Kostas Pataridis, Andromeda Software Development
https://www.andromedasoftware.co.uk
Music: Machinefabriek (Rutger Zuydervelt) and Anne Bakker
http://www.machinefabriek.nu