Reviewed by:
Heckler
Review by Tamara Haines |
02 March 2023
Electric Dreams: Torrent
The Light Room at Light ADL @ West Village
Electric Dreams: Torrent is an immersive and multi-sensory experience that transports its audience to a different reality. From the moment you enter the darkened entranceway, you are greeted by the familiar sounds of electronic music, setting the stage for the visually stunning performance to come. The star-filled screen emblazoned with the word TORRENT and the red carpet lead you into a space filled with projections of an outer-space other world, creating an alternate reality that is both familiar and fantastical.
The performance is presented in a small and intimate area with limited seats and sitting room, in stark contrast to the large-scale digital art experiences offered by Illuminate Adelaide. Instead, Electric Dreams: Torrent is more reminiscent of 2020’s Yabarra – Dreaming in Light, with its unique combination of spoken-word poetry, original music, digital art projection, and live dance using motion-capture technology.
The visual highlight of the performance is the precise contemporary-style dance of Stefaan Morrow, whose every move is replicated by a digital shadow dancer made up of shimmering dust particles. The dancers’ movements are followed by their respective on-screen shadows, which morph from dust to water as they traverse different landscapes. This is all set against the backdrop of a new spoken word performance piece by Yankunytjatjara/Kokotha poet Ali Cobby Eckermann.
The performance is exquisitely executed by the highly trained and talented dancers, choreographed by fellow South Australian, Lewis Major. Though the work is short, it is masterfully crafted and combines so many beautifully delivered components that the audience will not feel short-changed.
Electric Dreams: Torrent is an immersive and visually stunning performance that combines spoken-word poetry, original music, digital art projection, and live dance to create a unique and captivating experience. It is the perfect mid-week escape for anyone looking to be transported to another reality, even if only for a short while.