Bridgman/Packer workshop and performance.

The Bridgman/Packer assignment for class was definitely not what I expected. When I showed up to class on Monday I expected that we would be watching a bit of their performance. I definitely didn’t expect to have to dance. I’m not really a huge dancer, as probably much of the class, but after getting over my initial shock of being forced to dance, I rather enjoyed myself (for the most part). The good thing about the workshop with Bridgman/Packer was that we could dance however we pleased. There weren’t any rules and we didn’t have to learn any choreography. This definitely helped me enjoy myself more.

The coolest thing about Monday’s workshop was trying to learn how to interact with the video projections. I have never really associated dance with live video. As such it was a new experience learning how to interact with live projections. I think the hardest thing about interacting with the live video was figuring out your orientation to the live projections. I often times found myself facing the wrong way or moving in the wrong direction. Overall I had a pretty good time.

After the workshop on Monday I had no idea what to expect with the actual Bridgman/Packer performance. The only thing I knew definitely was that they would be using video projection as part of their performance. Just like the workshop on Monday I was a little bit surprised when I saw the performance. Bridgman/Packer took what we were doing in the workshop to the next level. The end result was something even greater than what I had anticipated.

The performance was broken up into two parts. My favorite part was the first section of the performance. I thought it was really cool how they used their bodies and clothing to blend in with the projections. The second part of the performance was a little too much for me. It didn’t really make sense, and it seemed like there was a bit of a sexual undertone to the performance that I didn’t really think was necessary. Overall I thought the performance was really interesting, and shed light on how I might think about film in a more abstract and interactive way.