SciArt Magazine - All Issues February 2016 | Page 22

The Brain Piece. Photo credit: Eric Siegel.

JO: The Brain Piece is a new direction. What I learned
from 4Chambers is that the brain is in the heart, and we
have our personal connections. 4Chambers created this
intimate experience. The brain is way more complex. I’m
creating an environment for the audience to go inside
the dome of their skulls and ‘see’ their brains thinking,
imagine neurons firing. There’s humor in this mind–
watching, as well as a slight melancholy that we cannot
really pin down scientifically everything that makes us
human. The dancers are the moving mind and embody
the connections between internal and external. I am the
head docent, guiding the audience.
Weiji Ma has been my main neuroscience collaborator,
stoking my imagination, and also being my fact checker.
My visual collaborator Eric Siegel is instrumental in
helping me to realize these visions—neurons being born
and forming cell families, and firing—in film. The newest films play with perception and will be a big part of
the whole piece.
What I’m attempting to do is create one giant brain,
with spheres of interaction that include the audience.
DM: You have a collection of award–winning and internationally screened films spanning two decades. For you, how is utilizing recorded media different than live performances/engagement?

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JO: Easy answer: films last, and as opposed to live performance, you don’t have to warm up. People respond to
films differently. It’s not a passive experience. Theoretically, films are like cave drawings. They exist in time,
and the audience comes upon them and responds when
they see them. They have a personal relationship, and
make up their own stories around the etchings. Good
films have the capacity to elicit a kinetic and emotional
response. One becomes moved by a moving image. I
recommend an outstanding book: The Neuro Image by
Patricia Pisters.
DM: As stated before, you offer lectures and a wide range
of workshops that range from improv and idea compiling to
partnering and choreography. What have you gotten out of your
experiences in communicating with audiences that way?
JO: As I was inspired by improvisation, I want to give
people an opportunity to connect with their own moving minds through their body. Partnering is about communication, touch, somatic relations to self and others.
I’m incredibly excited to premiere The Brain Piece in
Washington D.C. at Dance Place, April 16-17. Our NYC
premiere is TBA.

SciArt in America February 2016