akiko hatakeyama

(11:18) -- December 2011

Performers: Zach Alterman and Kristina Wolfe

 

牡丹 – Peony is inspired by a ghost tale called “Botan Dōrō.”  Strong longings between a man and a woman remove walls between past and present. Finally, two worlds merge into one. This piece contains live performers, recorded audio, fixed video, and interactive live video triggered by sound. The combination of infrared light and camera captures the woman standing behind the screen , and her image is processed in real-time. The live-processed image reveals her real identity, a ghost, on the other screen toward the end of the piece. However, the man never sees the ghost. He is alive and in front of the screen, and their relationship is something beyond the norm of what the real world is.