The Brainless Dancer
Abstract
"The Brainless Dancer" is a participatory performance project by Passion Asasu that examines the cultural hierarchy of patriarchal systems and how they objectify and oppress the female body. The performance invites the audience to participate and influence materials on the artist's body to emphasize our changing bodies' fluidity and uncertainty.
About the project
Examining female bodies and social relations through a participatory performance “The Brainless Dancer”. Passion Asasu invites the audience to participate in and influence the performance by using the artist's body as material and protagonist. When a woman's appearance not only embodies the uniqueness of an individual but also represents the cultural hierarchy of patriarchal systems that carelessly turns a female body into a product and equates her worth with her appearance and sexual functions. Through the performance, the audience is given the opportunity to observe and interact by activating substantial body parts of the artist's body. The fluidity of her body parts dancing randomly and brainlessly aims to play with the audience’s perception of a body image by emphasizing the uncertainty of our bodies that can change with age, nutrition, physical activity, hormonal status, and more. She hopes to create a space of critical engagement where visitors can see the violence, representation, struggle, and survival of a female body. The performance simply poses a question of when and how we can put an end to this broken construction and unauthorize the body as a place of oppression.
Technique
The technology used in the performance is a DIY inflatable with electric pumps and distance sensors. When an audience member approaches a sensor, it sends a signal to an Arduino microcontroller to run a code that activates the electronic pump, which inflates small balloons on the artist's body through an air tube. Once the value of the code reaches the maximum limit of 255, the air is automatically released through another tube into an exit motor. This process is repeated as audience members approach and move away from the sensors. Overall, the technology incorporated into the performance allows for interactive inflation and deflation of small balloons on the artist's body in response to the audience's proximity to the sensors.
The first prototype without the sensor
I extend my gratitude to Christian Doeller, who contributed to the development of the electronic device and programming of the Arduino.
Visual
Upon entering, the audience is welcomed by the artist's body intertwined with materials, standing at the center of the space. They are invited to participate by walking around the artist in a prescribed zone, thereby influencing the movements of the materials on her body. Through this interaction, the project aims to create a critical space for contemplation of the violence and struggle faced by the female body. As the performance unfolds, it highlights the contrast between the fluidity of our changing bodies and the still, frozen images created by the patriarchal system and entertainment industry.
The sketch of the performance that is visualized in the space
The performance
The performance is scheduled to take place in June 2023, as part of the "Of Webs, Patterns, and Other Beings" exhibition organized by a group of Media Art and Design students.
Please note that the precise date, time, and location will be announced by the end of April 2023.
Inspirations
• Cassils Heather: 'Tiresias', 'Cuts', and 'Becoming an Image'
• Hannah Wilke: 'S.O.S.' and 'Gestures'
• Jordan Wolfson: 'Female Figure'
Download a presentation of the inspirational artists >>
File:Construction.Deconstruction - Artist Presentation.pdf