LINDA DEMENT

A collaboration with Shu Lea Cheang, Martin Howse & others.

Devised and instigated by Shu Lea Cheang and Martin Howse for the Transmediale Festival in Berlin‚ Moving Forest is a 12 hour 5 act sonic performance‚ intervened by an expandable citywide operatic manoeuver with public wifi and mobile technology. Derived from Kurosawa's film version of Macbeth‚ Throne of Bood‚ Moving Forest renders the film's final 12 minutes into a 12 hour sonica of grand scale.

Inside the castle‚ Lady Washizu (aka lady Macbeth) persistently washes imaginary blood from her hands while Lord Washizu (aka Macbeth) is hit by arrows launched by his own archers in a spectacular showdown. Outside the castle‚ the Spider Web forest‚ the oppositional force in camouflage‚ advances.

Linda Dement’s part in the event was to program and project two applications that respond to live input throughout the 12 hour performance, generating arrows and blood according to incoming data from scrying boards (devices that pick up leaking electricity).

Inside the venue (the castle) sound performances take place‚ food is cooked and eaten‚ radio is transmitted‚ arrows fly‚ blood splatters and the film's final 12 minutes slowly disintegrate. Outside‚ scrying boards hung in trees pick up stray electricity & feed the data to the arrows‚ blood and Pure Data sound inside. By the 4th act‚ 4 groups of strangely armed people march towards the castle creating various transmissions‚ wireless communications and noises‚ to overthrow the central power.