Superblue and BMW i present “No One is an Island”, a collaboration between the art group Random International and choreographer Wayne McGregor and his company. On the occasion of Frieze London, the performance will be shown publicly from October 13 to 16 daily between 3:00 and 7:00pm at Park Village Studios.
Superblue and BMW i present “No One is an Island”, a collaboration between the art group Random International and choreographer Wayne McGregor and his company. On the occasion of Frieze London, the performance will be shown publicly from October 13 to 16 daily between 3:00 and 7:00pm at Park Village Studios.
Random International, Studio Wayne McGregor, Superblue and BMW i share a passion for pushing boundaries and exploring new territories. All are moved by similar questions about how future generations will interact with automated and digitised processes and environments whilst embracing reduction and sustainability. For this purpose, they are collaborating on a special project: “No One is an Island”. Conceptualised as a “Gesamtkunstwerk”, “No One is an Island” is developed in an ongoing dialogue and exchange between artists and partners.
“No One is an Island” is fuelled by science and explores electrified movement steered by advanced algorithms. It is a future-oriented reflection on how the human mind empathises with artificial intelligence and automated processes. The performance comprises sculptural, performative, and musical aspects.
“Creating new platforms and opportunities for experiential artists to collaborate is core to Superblue’s mission, so we are delighted to partner on this project and creative dialogue between Random International, Studio Wayne McGregor, and BMW i. ‘No One is an Island’ provokes questions about the dynamics between technology and humanity that are critical to deepening our understanding of our relationship to the world and each other.”
Mollie Dent-Brocklehurst, Co-Founder and CEO of Superblue
The centrepiece is a sculpture by Random International that experiments with the minimal amount of information that is actually necessary for an animated form to be recognised as human; and the fundamental impact created by subtle changes within that information. As it transitions from robot to human likeness, dancers from Company Wayne McGregor interact with the sculpture in a live, kinetic performance, further exploring the relationship between humans and technology and our capacity to empathise with a machine. The dancer’s interventions scored by Chihei Hatakeyama add a performative dimension to the sculpture, re-translating and celebrating the connection between human and mechanical movement.
A second artwork by Random International, part of the “Body/Light” series, was inspired by Picasso’s light drawings and premiered by Arts Brookfield, BMW and Superblue during Frieze New York. “Body/Light” allows visitors in London to create their own lines of light, capturing movement and electricity visually. In this way, elements from the core of BMW i, which stands for sustainable, future-oriented and forward-looking mobility, are recreated.
“Catalysed by the partnership with BMW i and the collaboration with Studio Wayne McGregor, we have elevated our ongoing ‘Fifteen Points’ series of sculptures to a whole new level. Through the addition of both a score by Chihei Hatakeyama and dedicated choreography by Wayne McGregor, we are able to explore in much more detail the as-of-yet unknown territories of ’empathy with machines’. The work is part of a wider reflection on our human need to relate to our surroundings; how does such a need to connect play out in light of an increasing automation and digitisation of our environment? Will our willingness to engage with unknown systems leave us more vulnerable? We are much looking forward to presenting the work in a series of live performances in 2021,” says Hannes Koch, one of the founders and directors of Random International about the collaboration.
“What I find inspiring about the partnership with Random International, Superblue, BMW i and myself is that we all come together from different knowledge sets, but convene in areas of shared interest,” says Wayne McGregor. “We are all fascinated by the potential of the human body, its relationship with and to technology but most importantly our desire to generate empathetic connections between people. This is a dialogue of inter-connectedness, exploration, and surprise. We have no pre-determined road map – instead, we feed from one another’s expertise and ideas to push ourselves towards new horizons.”
“We believe that working together with great artists like Random International, represented by Superblue, and Studio Wayne McGregor is an inspiring and enriching experience for all parties involved. Speaking of BMW i, the constant exchange with creatives is essential. And just as BMW i embodies innovation, ‘No One is an Island’ synergises future and present, technology and humanity,”
says Stefan Ponikva, Vice President BMW Brand Experience.
