Sympoiesis: a bio-inpspired dance performance

  • Laurane Le Goff
  • Julianna Persson

“Sympoiesis” is a bio-inspired dance performance. Coined originally by Beth Dempster, this term implied ‘multi-species making together.’ The performance emerges from the relationship between myself, a plant, a slime mould, four dancers, and a sound designer. This performance invites you to rethink your relationship with other species. Can we erase the boundary between “us” and “them”? Can we reshape our present and maybe rethink our future by learning about their past? The multiple crises we are facing (ecological, social, economic, political) come down to the fact that humans are using more resources than the planet can offer and regenerate. From the overproduction and overconsumption prompted by the industrial revolution, there has been an accelerated increase in the disruption of the ‘Earth system. Because of a tale focussing on creating more, better and cheaper; we have cut off any narrative promoting the rest of the living beings as equals. They progressively became inanimate resources for humans to use. This crack in our relationship towards the other-than humans is the ‘tipping point’ with which this performance concerns itself. Direction and costumes: Laurane Le Goff (MA Art and Science) Dancers and co-creators: Megan Eyles (Trinity Laban Conservatoire) Aske Ploug (London Contemporary Dance School) Justine Prignot (London Contemporary Dance School) Timea Szalontayova (Trinity Laban Conservatoire) Sound design: Victor Paredes (PhD sound-music-movements interactions, IRCAM-Centre Pompidou) with the collaboration of Anshuman Gupta (MA Biodesign) Videographer and editor: Julianna Persson (BA Film and Television, LCC)