Capturing the Moment: Live Projections for (we)SINK
Being part of the contemporary dance piece (we)SINK, was a fascinating journey into the intersection of performance, technology, and environmental storytelling. Choreographed by Josh Hawkins, (we)SINK is a duet performed by Emmie Coxey and Freya Thomas, delving into the psychological mechanisms that make humans disengage from the climate crisis. Themes of distance, doom, dissonance, denial, and identity come alive through movement, questioning whether these defence barriers can ever truly be broken.
Our role in the production focused on the live video element, capturing performers in real time and projecting their images back onto the stage. This technique became an extension of the choreography itself, amplifying the dancers’ movements while creating a reflective space for the audience. Watching the performers’ gestures echoed and fragmented on the projection screens added a layer of psychological resonance, mirroring the emotional distance and disconnection explored in the work.
The live video during (we) SINK wasn’t just an aesthetic choice; it became an integral part of the narrative. As viewers followed the dancers, the projections created moments of intimacy and tension, making the audience acutely aware of both the physical and metaphorical distance between humans and the climate crisis. Supporting the performance meant being present in the space with the dancers, operating live video processed through QLab and projection-mapped onto the space, in real time. This allowed us to respond to the performers’ movements and energy as the piece unfolded, ensuring the technology was not just functional but a dynamic partner in the choreography. It was a privilege to contribute to a work that so thoughtfully combined live dance, responsive technology, and urgent social commentary, turning the stage into a living, breathing reflection of our times.
(we)SINK is more than a performance; it’s a conversation about connection, awareness, and the barriers we place between ourselves and the pressing issues we face. Being able to contribute to that conversation through responsive AV work was truly inspiring, reflecting the HardaleAV ethos: using technology not just to support performance, but to actively engage audiences, enhance storytelling, and create engaging experiences that connect people with both art and the world around them.