2015

 

found dress and shirt, nylon pockets, conductive thread, copper fabric, LED strips, 9v battery, aligator clips

 

song: The District Sleeps Alone Tonight by The Postal Service

 

4 to 5 minute

 

 

While working as a summer camp counselor I observed that quite children stay within themselves when alone, but when they are with others or in a social activity they open up. Like a child I wanted to get my audience to be first comfortable around me and then become comfortable around each other. The performance dress that I created lights up when the sensor in the hand is bent. By holding hands with each audience member the lights turn on to signify joy in a connection. A separate tutu was made to signify a child in play, pretend and the start of the dance. My routine was performed in half light so that the light on my dress would be visible and to show case my movements. Once the song began I placed myself in my original position, straight stance with hands in the pockets, after rotating my head a few times I danced with a tutu before putting it on. Then back to my original position and then walked up to the first person in the audience. I gave them my hand walked them to the center of the room, twirled and then walked them back. The pattern was to choose a person from either left or right, then center. Every other person either twirled once, twice, or trice, after the third count I would take a person in each hand and twirl with them once. Once everyone had a single dance with me, I gathered two people, connect their hands and we all danced and twirled till the song ended. The twirling effect was also liberating even if it did make me a bit dizzy and reminded me of the whirling dervishes. The environment that I produced enable everyone to participate, enjoy themselves and to let go of their shyness.

 

The dress and shirt were found items that I attached together and then sewed on LED strips. The dress has a double layer of fabric that allowed me to cut a slit up the inside of the dress so that the lights could be sewn close to the surface of the first fabric layer. The conductive thread allowed for a flexible circuit that wouldn't hinder my performance. The way the circuit operates is simple, it connects to two sensors on each hand that light up the string of lights. Currently the dress does not work as it should because of a small accident, but before the accident it worked very well.