By Chesney Hearst, Senior Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – During a deluxe edition of the audiovisual arts event, VideoAtaq, members of Az0ia Labs art collective and the musicians of Taksi will join special guests 1024 Architecture for a night filled with large-scale visual and musical performances at Botafogo‘s Solar on July 27th.
Headlining the night, the French duo behind 1024 Architecture will perform “Crise” (Crisis), the second part of their video mapping performance trilogy titled, “Euphorie, Crisis, Recession.”
A projection technique that turns objects into display surfaces often using building façades and everyday objects, video mapping or video projection mapping is a growing artistic and commercial medium both internationally and in Rio.
“Video mapping is a technology that allows us to add the notion of movement to static spaces or objects. Through digital procedures, we can play with dynamics, kinetics and actually alter the perception of our environment,” François Wunschel, co-creator of 1024 Architecture, told The Rio Times.
“In ‘Crisis’, for instance,” he continued, “through the use of video mapping on cardboard boxes, these boxes become an environment that is responsive to the performer’s actions.”
Last in Brazil two years ago for the performance of “Euphorie”, which depicted the “euphoria” of consumption and the fulfillment of individual desires, François Wunschel returns with Fernando Favier for their performance of part two: “Crisis”. This new showing follows the story of the two performers who are now almost suicidal after losing their jobs.
“This trilogy refers to the behavior of the economy since the beginning. It is also the three psychological states of the manic depressive,” Favier, who is responsible for the sound during the production, told The Rio Times.
“The sound is a key element to our works, as are images,” added Wunschel, the architect of the duo. “These media become construction materials for our performances, and technology helps to blur their boundaries.”
“We use sophisticated techniques to melt all these media together, but in the end it is like a cooking recipe: one tablespoon of sound, few drops of images, shake everything and bake for thirty minutes: you have a performance, now just invite some friends over,” Wunschel explained.
Saturday night’s performance will begin at 8PM with a round table discussion between VJs and artists. Art collective Az0ia Labs will follow with a video mapping presentation at 9PM.
“Az0ia is a dynamic laboratory of collaborators that come and go and return,” creator Jodele Larcher said in an interview with The Rio Times. “At the moment we have an excellent team that rose up from our workshops.”
At 10:30PM Taksi, the duo of DJ/music producer João Brasil and musician Domenico Lancellotti, will perform. The two have previously played at the opening of London’s Tate Modern’s annex for the performing arts and at the Albert Museum.
According to Az0ia Labs’ Larcher, VideoAtaq, which began at Parque das Ruínas in Rio’s Santa Teresa in 2009 and has featured musicians and poets from across Brazil, puts Rio on the art world map.
“VideoAtaq puts Rio on the world map of creative and inventive performances, out of the box, bringing eye candy to the Cariocas.”
What: VideoAtaq with 1024 Architecture, Az0ia Labs and Taksi
Where: Solar, Rua General Polidoro 180, Botafogo.
When: Saturday, July 27th, at 8PM
Tickets: R$60 and R$30 (half price and friends list) available here and at the Solar box office.
Read more (in Portuguese).
* The Rio Times Daily Updates feature is offered to help keep you up-to-date with important news as it happens.
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