On October 27, the last two performances of the SENS show, with the actresses, took place at the Metropolis Theatre Ioana Flora and Silvana Negruțiu in distribution. The newest project of Association Present Continuousthe festival organizer NOVAsuccessfully concluded the program of performances open to the public, all 7 being sold-out.
Photo credit: Mihai Ciobanu
The immersive experience of SENS allowed the audience to step out of the usual patterns of the structure of a theater performance and step into an interactive context, where the meaning of each performance was directed by the audience and artists to a different end. The end of each performance was followed by a dialogue session moderated by Monica Curethe one who also coordinated the research of the project.
“During the dialogue in the interactive show it was fascinating to see the audience come to a collective understanding of how they influence the story together. They laid out their different motivations in their choice, from interpreting the actresses’ EEG readings to what they would have chosen for themselves. They came to understand how meaning is constructed, not pre-existing, and how much it is influenced by others and even environmental factors.”said Monica at the end of the 7 performances.
Over 700 spectators participated in the months of September and October in the performances of the show created by Emilia Paunescuthe one who is also the Artistic Director of NOVA Festivalone of the most complex events in Romania dedicated to the art-science dialogue built with new creative technologies.
Photo credit: Mihai Ciobanu
“I think the biggest gain of the project is the fact that we managed to create, through this show, a context in which the participants directly experienced how they can transform their thought patterns. The awareness of our extraordinary ability to use the resources within and around us to create, at any moment we choose to do so, a new meaning of things is very valuable, and I hope that this experience continues to yield long-term benefits for all the world involved in the project.”Emilia said.
The preparation of the show was structured in several stages, starting already in the spring of 2024. It has behind it a complex research, in which the artists were also involved, and to which important names at an international level in the field of neuroscience contributed, including the renowned interdisciplinary artist and researcher Albert Barqué-Duran who in August was present in Bucharest with the SENSE team and Michele Mittlebronnwho heads the neuropathology department of the Laboratoire National de Santé in Luxembourg. A valuable contribution to the development of the audience’s experience within the show was the collaboration with the team Mind Architect.
The soundtrack had original music composed especially for the show by Alexandrina Hristovbeing one of the key points in building the atmosphere. Interactivity design was provided by Ygreq Interactiveand the lighting design bore his signature Păcurar River.
Photo credit: Mihai Ciobanu
The narrative of the artistic research within the SENSE project will be available, at the end, on the communication channels NOVA Festival to be able to serve as a resource for other creatives who are interested in tackling the theme proposed by the Present Continuous Association.
SENSE is a project of the Prezent Continuu Association, co-financed by the National Cultural Fund Administration.
The project does not necessarily represent the position of the National Cultural Fund Administration. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or how the results of the project may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the beneficiary of the funding.
Partners: Veruvis Neuronal Performance Augmentation Research Center, Mind Architect, Metropolis Theatre, Spanish Embassy in Romania, Gallery 39, Ibis Bucharest Politehnica, Good Life Project
Main Middle Partener: Guerrilla Radio
Media partners: Radio Romania Cultural, Adevărul de Weekend, BIZ Magazine, Haute Culture, Days and Nights, Observator Cultural, Scena9, IQads, Mindcraft Stories, Ziarul Metropolis, LiterNet, HAPP.ro, AndreeaVerde.com
Source: www.iqads.ro
