Richard Siegal
art.Life
Like a perfect choreography of swallows in the air, the performers move through the space. Forwards, backwards, in sharp turns and geometric formations, they divide and merge without ever losing harmony. It is as if every movement is controlled by an invisible force – an interplay of harmony and tension.
For over a decade, choreographer Richard Siegal has been fascinated by Shudan Kodo (Japanese precision walking), which gained worldwide fame in the form of viral YouTube videos in recent years. It involves groups of athletes moving with impressive precision in synchronized formations. Shudan Kodo thus combines an extraordinary blend of discipline, aesthetics and collectivity that captivates with both its visual power and technical perfection. In his new work art.Life Siegal brings together 53 of these athletes from the Nippon Sports University with two dancers from his Ballet of Difference and immerses them in minimalist, electronic soundscapes of Alva Noto in an interplay with light/video design by Matthias Singer and Lukas and Teresa Nikol, so that an almost futuristic perspective on the tension between the collective and the individual gets created.
Thanks to the translation of these geometric, pixel-like formations into immersive visual worlds, viewers can familiarize themselves with the work from the inside out, and at the same time it challenges them to rethink some of their fundamental assumptions and questions about the world around us. For Richard Siegal, this first international, transdisciplinary work on Shudan Kodo, which will celebrate its premiere during DANCE in the Kunstbau of the Lenbachhaus in Munich, also marks an examination of the technocratic tendencies of our digitally-shaped reality. Fundamental questions about this form the basis of art.Life:
What can crowds tell us about the digital age we live in? Conversely, what can the digital reveal to us about the nature of crowds?
art.Life is presented by International DANCE Festival München in cooperation with Lenbachhaus.
Accessibility
For people in wheelchairs: The Kunstbau is an underground exhibition hall located in the mezzanine level of the Königsplatz subway station. The exhibition space has no steps.
The official entrance is accessible only via escalators. Visitors using wheelchairs or walking aids can use an elevator, which is located at Luisenstraße 29, near the Rhaetenhaus restaurant / entrance to the vocational school center. The elevator must be operated by our staff. Please use the intercom at the elevator to contact us. Alternatively, a companion can inform the Kunstbau ticket desk. The elevator is suitable for all wheelchair widths.
Location:
Lenbachhaus / Kunstbau
Luisenstraße 33
80333 Munich
Age: Recommended from 6 years.
Possible triggers: Flickering light effects
Sensory stimuli: loud music.
© Hideto Maezawa
© Hideto Maezawa
© Hideto Maezawa
© Hideto Maezawa
© Hideto Maezawa
Team
Artistic Direction: Richard Siegal
Choreography: Richard Siegal in collaboration with Jiro Omi and the athletes of Nippon Sport Science University
Lighting and Video Design: Matthias Singer | 507 nanometer in collaboration with Lukas and Teresa Nikol | fantomas Design
Music: Carsten Nicolai aka Alva Noto
Dramaturgy: Evan Supple
Dancers: Karin Honda and Ian Sanford
Performers: Kaede Ando, Hinano Aoki, Himawari Chuto, Nozomi Fujisaki, Natsu Fukada, Aya Fukahara, Masayuki Fukuoka, Tomo Hanada, Katsunori Haruta, Yuzuka Hashimoto, Rai Hattori, Issei Hayashi, Kodai Honda, Yuka Ide, Hinano Inose, Wakana Inoue, Risa Ishikawa, Kosuke Izawa, Kokoro Izumi, Nina Kamio, Momoi Kanaya, Sae Kanshuji, Kotono Kato, Rimu Kiguchi, Ami Kitano, Sara Kiyono, Kanami Kono, Marin Kuno, Sera Kurakami, Rei Kurokawa, Kaito Matsubara, Naho Matsue, Yuka Matsumoto, Noe Minagawa, Yuto Minagawa, Yuina Miyahara, Meika Miyashita, Sumire Mukai, Mizuki Nagawa, Hiroto Nakagawa, Yui Nakajima, Karin Nakamura, Nanako Nakazato, Minami Naoe, Kosei Niizawa, Aina Odaka, Wakaba Ogura, Tsubasa Ooaku, Shinya Otsuka, Kazumi Oyama, Saki Ozawa, Marin Sagitani, Haruno Sasaki, Takumi Sato, Nozomi Seki, Himena Sekiguchi, Nonoka Shimizu, Monami Shimokihara, Mizuki Soejima, Rio Sugiyama, Hinata Suzuki, Ippei Takemoto, Kanon Tanaka, Aoi Todoroki, Honoka Uchida, Mariko Ueno, Karen Yamamoto, Shiina Yamashita, Rua Yoshida
Video Direction: Richard Siegal
Editing: Richard Siegal and Benedict Mirow | Nightfrog
Camera: Daniel Stupar | Nightfrog
Technical Production Management: Florian Haderer | Muffatwerk
Executive Producer: Dietmar Lupfer
Production Management: Miria Wurm
Credits
A production of Muffatwerk Munich in co-production with Richard Siegal | Ballet of Difference and Synaesthetica.
With the kind support of the Yokohama International Performing Arts Meeting and the Nippon Sport Science University.
