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How many hours do you spend on social media every day? If your phone is never off, then ‘Digital Tattoo’ will raise some awkward questions. But if you’ve ever posted a selfie while you were drunk, stoned or naked – or all three simultaneously – you need to see this. On prescription.

This multi-media performance, curated by Katie Dale-Everett, explores the unintended consequences of our virtual back catalogues. A posting you made ten years ago might never be erased. If you’re a ‘digital native’ – born after 1980 – that could scar your life.

‘Digital tattoo’ is an extraordinary achievement. It splices together film clips, audience participation and dance. There’s a menacing backing track from Tow Sawyers. And it always maintains a firm grip on the theme.

It starts with a gritty art film–come–documentary showing personal accounts of cyber despair. A keyboard snaps out words on screen. Privacy! Go! Commit!

There’s dialogue with members of the audience. We use our phones to respond to commands from a disembodied voice. ‘Have you ever judged others on social media?’ Here it’s real-time art research into our on-line craving.

We then follow the story of two young lovers conjured by exquisite chorography. Projected tattoos fall on their dancing bodies. Their descent into public intoxication is captured forever by selfies.

There was certainly a spooky moment at the end. The voice asked us: ‘all those who are on Facebook stand up now’. The audience obeyed and silently stood. I sat still with one other digital nobody.

‘Digital Tattoo’ was inspired by a Ted Talk. Katie became fascinated by how our online posts become ‘part of ourselves’ but also our right to be forgotten. ‘I’m not preaching…but I want people to consider what they put up on-line and the consequences’.

Katie is committed to creating new mixed-media art forms to explore big themes. ‘Digital Tattoo’ brings it all together with beauty. Watch out for more.

 

WHAT IF OUR ONLINE INFORMATION WERE DIGITAL TATTOOS?

WHAT WOULD YOURS SAY ABOUT YOU?

WOULD YOU WISH FOR THE RIGHT TO BE FORGOTTEN?

It has been proposed that our digital information will last longer than we will ourselves in the flesh. The average person spends 8 hours and 41 minutes per day on electronic devices, over 313 million people use Twitter and over 400 million people use Instagram everyday.

Today because of this, we all have a digital tattoo, an unconscious data trail which will outlive ourselves in the flesh. Though we are regularly told about the potential risks of participating online, we often choose to ignore the inherent consequences of this in favour of social gratification, convenience and shareability.

Katie Dale-Everett Dance is a cross-genre digital dance artists who makes work that explores and questions the increasingly digitalised society we live in.

The programme:

Digital Tattoo is a live interdisciplinary work that mixes dance with interactive projection. The work exposes the permanence of our online actions and questions the identity of both the physical and virtual self.

Digital Tattoo: Artefact 1 is a three minute, choreographic art film combining dance, animation and sound and is inspired by the Right to be Forgotten law, exploring the permanence of personal online data. The film aims to encourage its viewer to reflect upon their own unconscious, permanent data trail that we all generate through our online activity, unescapable in this increasingly digitalised world.

Conversations About the Digital is an audio interactive work that instructs its participants to answer questions and to carry out simple tasks in connection to their own individual thoughts around and interaction with the digital. The work also reveals and brings together reflections on the digital by both Digital Immigrants (those born before the boom of digital technology) and Digital Natives (those born post digital boom) sharing their concerns and thoughts around privacy, control, identity, interaction and The Right to Be Forgotten. Please bring a smartphone with you if you wish to take part.

Further venue details can be found here: www.circleartscentre.com

Source – brownpapertickets.com

IMAGE: John Hunter

Katie Dale-Everett brings her interdisciplinary film and dance performance Digital Tattoo to Brighton’s Otherplace at The Basement this week. Working across artistic mediums, Dale-Everett incorporates her interest in the themes of authorship and identity, as she explores the transience of our online personas in an increasingly fragmented digital age. Digital Tattoo questions the possibility of true anonymity and suggests that our ethereal identity in the digital space may last longer than we do in the flesh.

A supported artist at the venue’s own Otherplace Productions, Dale-Everett has received rapid recognition since her graduation in 2014, and is now a Brighton Dance network featured artist. As a choreographer deeply concerned with the audience’s role in ‘co-creating’ the performance of dance, she is equally committed to making her performance accessible to others. Digital Tattoo is also supported by the Screen South Ignition Network Centre for Film Work and the South East Dance’s Emerging Artist Programme – a great opportunity to witness a fusion of artistic mediums, and the formative work of a star in the making.

Digital Tattoo opens on Tuesday 10^th November at 7pm, with performances throughout the week on 11^th, 12^th and 14^th November. Tickets are available here at £7.50 (plus booking fee).

Location: Otherplace at the Basement, 24 Kensington Street, Brighton BN1 4AJ

Source – themetropolist.com

About Katie

Katie Dale-Everett is a freelance dance artist working within the fields of choreography, teaching and performing. Within her work, she seeks to practically and theoretically investigate the definitions of the terms ‘documentation’ and ‘authorship, exploring how time and intertextuallity affect the reading of a work. She challenges documentation’s role as a tool for preservation and instead strives to highlight the subjectivity involved within its creation, believing that each attempt to document creates its own performance.

Katie is about to start making a new work called ‘Digital Tattoo’ which explores privacy within a digitised society. She is particularly excited about working with Blast Theory to learn about our work online, but also live performance and digital broadcasting, as well as to learn more about the process of archiving.

Source – Blast Theory

Can you imagine wearing your web presence on your flesh? Having Facebook photographs and Google searches imprinted on you for all to see? What if your body was confronted by the permanence of your online data?

Choreographer Katie Dale-Everett uses the theme of digital identity in her latest work – Digital Tattoo. It is an intimate dance and film projection piece – the ideal media combination for exploring our physical and virtual selves. Anyone who has any sort of web presence or social media profile should see this.

If you are new to contemporary dance, this would be a great place to start. The familiarity of the digital influences in the movement and music are reassuring and engaging. There is a delightful use of typing, swiping and touchscreen-zooming motions in the choreography, and the tones and notification notes used in the music are auditory digital signifiers as well as an ambient, yet dynamic soundtrack for the piece.

Composed by Tom Sayers (whose other work notably includes sound design for Slumdog Millionaire and music editing for the chillingly beautiful Les Revenants/The Returned), the opening music could actually be my ideal blogging soundtrack.

There were lots of things I loved about this performance – the projection of a relationship which created a narrative in my mind, glimpses of a wild night out, the use of data and the right to be forgotten, the scrutiny of a reflection where the audience is the mirror and the closeness of the performers. The proximity of the dancers to the audience gave it a real intimacy, at times it felt quietly uncomfortable, verging on voyeuristic yet still as compelling as scrolling through photos of your ex’s new love interest on Facebook.

The two dancers were wonderful to watch. Eirini Apostolatou is a particularly charming performer, her shifting emotions and facial expressions were a delight.

Often when I watch contemporary dance, I just look at the dancers, the beautiful movements and take it as is, without analysing the meaning or thinking about themes. I find spending too long trying to understand something as it is happening makes it less enjoyable than just experiencing it. On other occasions the theme dominates so much that the dance is almost coincidental. I think this piece got the balance just about right by combining the closeness of the dance with the projected images and Google searches, which were part of both the interpretation and the creative choreography.

The use of projection in this piece, particularly on the body was beautiful. I loved it aesthetically, but it also made me reflect on how I wear my own digital identity.

I am both an incredibly open and private person – I over-share but I am hard to get close to. My online presence has empowered me and has helped me see myself through the eyes of others (in a good way), but for now I am in control of it. There could be a time when that changes, if some weird blogger mishap turns into a viral scandal, if I make enemies who share things about me I don’t want aired in public, if trolls target me or if I make some amazingly high profile fuck up.

If you make a mistake online, you don’t have to look someone in the eye as you do it. The immediate embarrassment may be less, and you might get away with it. It might be drowned out in other information, you could delete that tweet before anyone takes a screenshot, but then again some things might pop up like an unwanted ad when your boss is looking over your shoulder.

Don’t fear your digital tattoo though, we all have regrets, just make sure you know how to wear them… with the grace of dancer.

Digital Tattoo is supported by Arts Council England, Otherplace Productions, South East Dance and Richer Sounds.

The very beautiful photography is by Eleanor Kelly

Source – cassyfry.com

It has been proposed that our digital information will last longer than we will ourselves in the flesh. The average person spends.2 hours and 25 minutes per day using social networks, 80% of people us their mobiles to update their online identity on Twitter whilst on the move and 70 million photos are sent on average on Instagram daily. I am an emerging multi-media Brighton based dance artist who recently completed three months on the Blast Theory Volunteer Programme. I have since received an Ignition Random Acts Network Commission in partnership with The Arts Council and Screen South, for which I was kindly offered a month’s residency at Blast Theory. This was to carry out a focused research and development period.Often working with themes such as ‘documentation’, ‘copyright’, ‘authorship’ and ‘longevity’, my practice is concerned with how things exist, remain and relate to each other. This new short film, (which exists as part of a wider project containing a live work at The Basement, Brighton) explores the new law regarding our right to be forgotten introduced in 2014.

During the residency I have been focused on the journey of the work and the relationships between the different artistic disciplines: dance, animation and film. Working together each artistic strand has been chosen to portray the immortality and non-anonymity of the digital self that is created through the process of online participation and to highlight the unconscious data trail we generate.

The Flare strand of the Ignition Random Acts Network, guides artists aged between 16 & 24 years old to take a ready to go a film idea through the professional production process to delivery for a potential broadcast. Being commissioned under this strand has enabled me to turn a film around within a short time period of time and having my own space to use to think and invite artists I am working with to, for example dramaturge Lou Cope has been of great value.

The research and development I have been carrying out will also go towards my new live work Digital Tattoo in November. See details here.

Katie is supported by South East Dance’s Emerging Artist Programme and Otherplace Productions.

Source – Blast Theory Blog

Well, I guess the beginning has begun!

I’ve made my first steps into the world of South East Dance and all the artists they support.

Introductions have been made, hopes have been shared and the initial questions that start any process I work on have been asked.

As a dramaturg, it’s always an odd moment, stepping from the outside to the inside; going from being strangers to being creatively intimate. But people are normally so open, willing and up for it – how can we go wrong?!

So far this Summer, I’ve spent time in the world of artists Katie Dale-Everett and Dan Daw, both of whom are busy preparing new works.

Katie is currently creating a new piece of work. We had a great session, my brain was fried on more than one occasion, and I really enjoyed working with her to figure out what’s most important in what she’s saying and then – how the hell she’s going to do it technically. Exploring the dramaturgy of her work was fascinating. As is often the way I was blown away by the choices artists face, and the profound difference even the smallest decision can make to a piece and how it is received.

I also stepped briefly and virtually into Dan Daw’s world. Dan is busy touring his new piece ‘Beast’ as well as developing a Symposium called ‘Get Better Soon’, which will be hosted in Brighton, this November. Exciting times for Dan (who received the BBC Performing Arts Fund and is an Associate Artist of SED) and I can’t wait to get stuck in to working with him.

In addition to working with artists, I have also begun work as dramaturg to South East Dance, which is rather marvellous if a little daunting. I’ve embarked upon a series of meetings and creative thinking sessions with all the staff – as individuals, as departments and as a whole. So far I’ve had the following feelings: a) I want to do this forever b) I want to run for the hills and c) what a strange and wonderful honour this is. Deep and complicated and inspiring and exciting.

Well, enough about the fun I’m having! Here’s how you all get to join in …

Plans for the various schemes that form this residency have been finalised, and – well here they are…

TEST – is a 2 day workshop plus follow up skype support for 6 choreographers, and two emerging dramaturgs, to explore the value of embracing dramaturgical practice. Apply here

COLLABORATE – is an open access investment pot for anyone who wants to work with a dramaturg, whether that’s me or someone else. Apply here

And if you want to keep updated about all that’s happening…

Why not like the Facebook page facebook.com/LouCopeSED

And follow me on Twitter: @LouCopeSED

Or could you just like me, in person, and I’ll tell you…

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Dan Daw

‘Beast’ will be performed Tuesday 3 November, 8pm, at the Studio theatre, Brighton Dome. Dan’s Symposium, ‘Get Better Soon: Musings on a 21st Century Aesthetic’, will take place on November 9, 2pm – 6pm, at Brighton Dome. Tickets available here.

That’s it for now. More when things hot up in the Autumn!

Katie Dale-Everett

Katie will also be working with Lou on an additional new live work ‘Digital Tattoo’ later in the year. This will be performed at The Basement Brighton in November 2015:

Tuesday 10th, 19:00

Wednesday 11th, 19:00

Thursday 12th, 19:00

Saturday 14th, 17:00