Chunky Move’s vibrant Mortal Engine came to the Southbank Centre this weekend, in a show that utilised some very exciting technical innovations, but seemed to lack the same innovative quality in the movement. Director and choreographer Gideon Obarzanek and his impressive team of sound and light artists delivered a performance that I had definitely never experienced before, and now I’m left with the question: what will they do next?
Obarzanek describes Mortal Engine in the programme notes as a “dance-video-music-laser performance using movement-and-sound-responsive projections”. It combines his own choreography with video and laser images by Robin Fox and the jarring soundscape of Ben Frost. To combine these components, Mortal Engine uses unique software designed by Frieder Weiss. His interactive systems allow each of these artists’ input to communicate and affect each other in real time. Sound, light and video all respond to the movement of the dancers, who in turn respond to cues and rhythms both within their group and also from the sound and light. This concept of a unique and live show is not a new one, but with Weiss’ software, the opportunity for interaction expands tenfold, and the results were very interesting.
Immediately Mortal Engine draws you into a world in constant unrest. The performance space is an intricate raked stage that better displays the video projections, and while the dance mainly happens on this sloped platform, there are also two panels downstage that rise to form a wall for projection during some sections. This raking made it easier to see the movement-responsive projections, but it also gave the whole performance an isolated and restrained edge; as if we were looking down at the performers through a microscope.
The sound was particularly loud and abrasive, and often carried a defining thump of a rhythm for the dancers. Often I felt the sound, combined with the sporadic and forceful video projections, balanced uneasily between being captivating and just becoming sensory overload. Unfortunately I then lost the dancing amidst all the other elements of the work. The dancers were undoubtedly virtuosic, and they certainly exhibited their flexibility, but I found myself more engaged with the dancing that had a stronger sense of marriage between all of the artistic components, instead of each element competing for attention.