Futura Fractals
Learning the original Bauhaus methods
In the fall of 2018, the Institute of Design had a unique opportunity to collaborate on a performance piece with the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation and Hedwig Dances, a professional modern dance company in Chicago.
From left to right back row: Tyler Besecker (ID MDes 2020), Torsten Blume (Bauhaus Dessau Foundation), Jeffrey Mau (ID Faculty), Audrey Gordon (ID MDes 2020)
From left to right front row: Surbhi Kalra (ID MDes 2019), Alexandria Rengifo (ID MDes 2020), and Theresa LaFranchise (ID MDes 2018).
Paper folding
We began by folding our paper however we liked and then shaping our bodies in the form of our paper. Here I am working with Torsten Blume, choreographer at the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation, to become my paper form.
Prototyping a performance
For two weeks, we prototyped our performance by developing our characters and movements, composing a poem using an original László Moholy-Nagy method, and collaborating with Jason White, Chief Creative Officer at Leviathan, on visuals to project on top our bodies
Moving together
After everyone explored their paper forms individually, we began exploring what it was like for each of us to interact with each other as our paper forms. This was the beginning of understanding our characters and how we could interact with each other.
Performing
Futura Fractals premiered in Chicago, IL in November 2018. A second performance was done in Dessau, Germany in September 2019 as part of the Bauhaus Centenary Festival.
Learn more about the design process of the Futura Fractals performance piece in the video below, produced by the Institute of Design.