Parallax/Drum Theatre

The remount of Parallax for the Drum Theatre features new dance choreography and motion capture animation. The dance, performed by Wendy Feng, includes 10 minutes of new stereoscopic imagery created through motion capture and animated in the Unreal Engine. The 45 minute dance performance that Wendy Feng performed was also substantially revised for her, including the new motion capture section of choreography. Parallax is a live contemporary dance and animation performance that is set within virtual computer generated 3D environments. The audience puts on 3D glasses to view the 3D imagery that appears to emerge from the screen and dance with the performer. The audience also feels like they can reach out and touch the images. Thematically, the performance follows a woman who drinks a green drink and enters an illusionary world, transporting her through a series of abstract spaces. The hallway she stands in becomes a portal to new digital worlds, each different and sometimes dangerous. These environments contain fragments of the past rendered as 3D objects, such as Leonardo da Vinci's spheres, Charles Wheatstone's cubes, and Euclid's Greek columns. These objects represent historical and philosophical shifts in the notions of visual perspective. Each object she encounters presents different physical and emotional challenges that the woman must navigate. In each world, she sees herself from different perspectives, creating a parallax effect.