Exploring the Impossible Body: NAXS FUTURE "Body Crysis" @Sydney Soft Centre

Jun-08-2023

"Body Crysis" is a new media cross-disciplinary dance performance directed by NAXS FUTURE, a Taiwanese new media art studio, in collaboration with Australian choreographer Harrison Hall and media artist Sam Mcgilp. The performance features original music by Taiwanese experimental rock/folk band Prairie WWWW.

The work combines cutting-edge digital technologies such as motion capture streaming, multiplayer online gaming, and cloud computing to explore the possibilities of performance art and transnational exhibitions in the post-pandemic era.

The collaboration between Taiwan and Australia began in Chunky Move's "ACTIVATORS - ArtxDialogue" project, and the following year they initiated the transnational project "Body Crysis." The work reflects and practices the concept of the "impossible body" while experimenting with the possibilities of expanding cybernetic bodily experiences. The artists draw inspiration from Taiwanese and Australian mythologies, insect metamorphosis, and the rhythmic cycles of nature. They employ methods of bionics and technological typologies as choreographic approaches to construct the aesthetics of the digital body. "Body Crysis" premiered at the Neighbourhood Contemporary Art Festival in Melbourne in October last year and received high praise. The Age, an Australian newspaper, commented on the performance, commented as "Weirdest international event since Stelarc."

This year, "Body Crysis" has been invited to perform at the Soft Centre, an avant-garde arts festival in Sydney, on June 11th. Known for its chaotic, extreme, and unwavering experimental spirit, Soft Centre encompasses a wide range of genres, including experimental music, noise, contemporary performing arts, immersive audiovisual performances, and large-scale sound and light installations. The lineup for this year's festival includes renowned Finnish electronic music group AMNESIA SCANNER, Australian musician Corin, and Iranian music producer SOTE.

The performance will take place at Carriageworks in Sydney's urban cultural precinct. In addition to the physical dance performance, the audience will have the opportunity to experience the production globally through an online gaming platform. By logging into the game, viewers can not only watch the virtual dance controlled by the performers in real-time and the live stream of Prairie WWWW's music performance but also embody characters (Avatars) within the artwork and explore the fictional mythological world.

NAXS FUTURE is a new media art studio that emerged from the experimental art group NAXS CORP. They have received the Taipei Digital Art Performance Award and were shortlisted for the UK Lumen Prize. Their works have been exhibited at Ars Electronica in Austria, the Beijing Media Art Biennale, and the "Customized Reality: The Fascination of Digital Art" exhibition at the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts. Leveraging their self-developed framework for multiplayer online gaming experiments, the NAXS team has actively explored the potential of games as a new interface and tool for art exhibition. They have presented a series of game-based online experimental performances at renowned international events such as UNSOUND Festival in Poland, LEV Festival in Spain, and Rewire Festival in the Netherlands.

Choreographer Harrison Hall and media artist Sam Mcgilp have gained significant attention in recent years for their highly meta, undefinable, and distinctive style of technology-based performance art. Their creations span across film, performance, installation art, and online spaces, utilizing emerging technologies to traverse the ever-changing states between the digital and the physical, enhancing or blurring the boundaries of the body within digital contexts.

Creative Team: NAXS FUTURE (TW) & Harrison Hall, Sam Mcgilp (AU)

Music: Prairie WWWW

Event Date: 11th June 2023 (Sun), 14:40-15:30 (GMT+8)

Event Venue: Carriageworks, Sydney, Australia

[Online Game Experience]

  • Experience Website: bodycrysis.online
  • Game Experience Time: 11th June 2023 (Sun), 14:40-15:30 (GMT+8)
  • Notes:
    1. It is recommended to use a computer and have a stable internet connection for the best experience.
    2. For mobile experience, please use Safari for iOS devices and Chrome for Android devices.
    3. Online game admission is free, but spots are limited. In case of login issues, there may be a waiting queue for available spots.