ARK 1

We are in a not-too-distant future. Fictitious biotechnology enterprise VESSELS INC develops the spaceship ARK1, equipped and commissioned to preserve the memory of life on Earth. When Earth’s ecosystems are on the verge of collapse, ARK 1 starts its voyage into space. On board, an algorithm works on the digital reconstruction of dancer Mickey Mahar. By means of this human copy, body-related experience shall survive. On the stage during ARK 1, choreographer Colette Sadler and visual artist Mikko Gaestel interlace an expansive video installation sporting 3D aesthetics with the dancer’s performance in the physical realm. While Mickey Mahar enacts a choreography of machine-like motions that appears humanoid, the video simulates sci-fi worlds and lets the audience dive into past spaces of cultural conservation. The ARK 1 piece asks how the history of humanity could be archived, remembered, and technologically retrieved when the catastrophes of the future will have passed.

Colette Sadler was educated in classical dance at the Scottish Ballet, completed her studies at London’s Laban Centre, and started developing her own works in 2002. Her performances have been presented in numerous dance and art contexts, among them at Kaaitheater in Brussels, South Bank Centre London, Nottingham Contemporary, Impulstanz Vienna as well as at tanzhaus nrw – most recently during the TEMPS D’IMAGES 2021 festival.

Duration: 35 min.

Please note: limited seating available
in English
The video installation integrated in the piece is accessible before and after the performances.