The Soft Animal of Our Body

The Research for THE SOFT ANIMAL OF OUR BODY was a continuation of Wunderland’s work with radical physical and sensory audience participation into new fields.

With our solid background of working with the audience one by one, meeting one performer at the time, we wanted to explore new approaches and constellations: The audience and the performers moving together as one group. Dissolving who is who, exploring the physicality and inner dynamics in a group.

The research is an important step before a future production, to know enough about the amount of input and guidance a group needs, how the group changes with the numbers of individuals, and how many performers are needed for a specific group size.

Furthermore we want to investigate how the live animation through sound and words influences the group dynamics; and how the uniform costumes worn by all the participants influences the perception and behaviour in the group.

Research questions

How can a group – through physical interactive and sensory experiences- be guided into their personal longings?
How can we play with group dynamics, building relations, building “communities” in a staged, space, but with real and honest interaction?
Can a group who just met become a clan, a family?
How can the way we act in a group show us ourselves in a new way? Show us relation to others in a new way?
How can people from different social groups, different ages, different habits of using the body, challenge and complement each other?
How does it influence our behaviour in a group being “disguised” in the costume and gradually being unmasked?
How does the group dynamic change according to the number of individuals in the group?
How many performers to how many audience-participants are necessary to guide physical changes and changes in the state of mind of the group?

Supported by

Nordisk Kulturkontakt
Statens Kunstfond
The Municipality of Aarhus
Bora-Bora – Dance and visual theatre
Performing Arts Platform

Academic researchers

Thomas Rosendal Nielsen, PhD Dramaturgy, Aarhus University
Haukur Ingi Jónasson, Prof. PhD Reykjavík University
Maja Ravn Christiansen, Ba. Dramaturgy, project-leader assistant and leader of audience talks

Artists

Artistic leader and performer – Mette Aakjær (DK)
Co-creating performer – Mari Mägi (EE)
Co-creating performer – Helga Rosenfeldt-Olsen (DK)
Co-creating performer – Nina Matthis (SW)
Visual artist, costumes and set design – Sigrid Astrup (NO/DK)
Text and gamemaster – Sonja Winckelmann Thomsen (DK)
Composer – Thoranna Bjornsdottir (IS)
Dramaturgical consultant – Sarah John (AUS)

Technique

Technical interaction designer – Daniel Plewe

Production

Project leader – Louise Kierkegaard, 1:1 Produktion
Project-leader assistant and leader of audience talks – Maja Ravn Christiansen
Assistant – Sarah Kamille Teilbrand
Set design/costume design assistant – Aurora Bertoli
Set design/costume design assistant – Maria Vang
Video – Christoffer Brekne