FLÆKT (Unraveled) by Juliette Louste - Dance piece about the inner language of obsession
"Growing up is not easy for everyone. Being human is not easy. Existence itself is complex and inflexible and somehow fragile."
In our search for understanding and a manageable existence, we all create systems for ourselves. Religions, routines, and thought systems; ways to survive and find meaning. But what happens when these systems, which were supposed to support us, take over and start to control us?
- Author, Choreographer - Juliette Louste
- Artistic Director and Producer - Kara Hergils
- Set & Costume Design - Rebekka A. Ingimundardóttir
- Dramaturg - Gígja Sara Björnsson
- Composer - Íris Hrund Thorarinsdóttir
- Assistant Choreographer - Selma Reynisdóttir
- Lighting - Andreu Fàbregas Granes
- Sound Design - Kristín Waage
- Projections - Owen Hindley
- Technician - Dariel Garcia
Juliette Louste is an absolute powerhouse of a human - we first met at Huldufugl's first Icelandic project, where animated our ourdoor maze space with incredible physical performance. Later we would work together as part of the technical team for the Reykjavik Fringe Festival, which was my introduction into the Icelandic theatre world, with her as Technical Manager of the festival.
Probably the most professional, creative and efficient stage technician I've ever worked with or for, this show now has her showing her 'other' side as a writer, dancer and choreographer, and it was an absolute honour to be invited into the project to work on projected visual material.
The show is an hour of incredibly technical spectacle, using every tool at the theatre's disposal to shape the narrative. Visual projection played a vital role in this, working alongside the lighting design of Andreu Fàbregas to immerse the audience in a world of compulsive routines and systems, developed in response to trauma.
The video content was created in realtime TouchDesigner, allowing maximum flexibility and creative control right until the end of the creation & rehearsal period. An OSC interface was created to switch between scenes in TD and control each parameter from Qlab cues.
In addition, this project incorporated a Zactrack positional tracking system which gave us millimetre-precise accuracy of objects (and performers) on stage. This was used to drive one of the most visually intense scenes of the piece, where projected lines lock to Juliette's body as she moves around the space.
I was also in charge of running the show during performances, bringing together a 12-point multichannel sound system, lights, projection, atmospherics and mechanical elements all synced in Qlab.
We're hoping to take the show on tour worldwide in future, watch this space!
