Autopoiesis (2003-2004) for Violin, electroluminescent wire, live video and sound processing, two laptops
Created by Maja Cerar and Liubo Borissov
Performed by Maja Cerar - violin
Liubo Borissov - interactive processing
Autopoiesis is a work that creates imagined realities and is, in part, also a humorous document of the discussions between the two authors about the beginning of the universe. It tackles the idea of existing in more than one place at a single time and coping with a duplicate of oneself. It is also an exploration of degrees in and limits to comprehending relations between cause and effect, between mass and vacuum, and is played out in a dialogue between a physical figure and its virtual (projected) manifestation, in which both of them constantly move and change without evolving. One could see the lines projected on the screen to represent an immediate perception of reality, the glowing wire on stage a scientific investigation of matter and force determining its movement. In this spectacle, the violinist and artist behind the computer who are pulling the strings, without the audience exactly seeing how or knowing why, become the mythological explanation of the forces behind the illusion. In Autopoiesis, all these realities meet in play.
In performance, the hall is darkened as much as possible and the violinist wears a uniquely designed set of glowing elwires. A video camera is trained on the violinist, and a computer tracks her movements. As she moves, the computer uses the information of her location to process the sound of the violin and the moving image of her figure. These computer-generated materials are then projected back into the performance space via loudspeakers and a large video screen located onstage behind the violinist.
Autopoiesis was performed in 2003 at the ThreeTwo festival for contemporary dance, music and video at the Merce Cunningham dance studio, the Princeton Electroacoustic Music Festival and in 2004 at Columbia University's 250th Anniversary Celebration.
© 2003-2004 Maja Cerar and Liubo Borissov
