creation
(sinestesia)
Creative &
Technical Team
Creation Maria Ana Diogo
Voice Albano Jerónimo
Light Design Miguel Ramos
Texts Maria Ana Diogo
Music blended with voice-over The Big Black and White Game, Frank Bretschneider; I Miss You, The String Quartet; Misfire, Blamstrain; Summer Overture (Kronos Quartet), Clint Mansell; Enjoy (over the edge mix by Outcast), Björk
Cast Flávio Silva, Irina Soares, Maria Ana Diogo, Maria Maia, Rita Pinheiro, Rodrigo Lemos and Uriel Assis
Duration
20 min
Premier
performance
July 2, 2009 - Forum cultural do Seixal, Seixal, Portugal
About
(sinestesia)
Sensation as empire and temple,
for all my body feels everything in every way…
Feeling excessively, furiously!
What’s the smell of the color red?
Is the sound of the word ‘night’ a flowing stream?
And light? Can I taste it?
Synesthesia is a neurological condition in which a stimulus directed at one of the senses triggers an involuntary perception in another sense. This creates an automatic connection between different sensory pathways, allowing a person experiencing this phenomenon to, for example, see sounds, taste words, or smell through touch (i.e., by hearing a sound, one has a momentary visual experience, or by touching a particular texture, one has an immediate olfactory sensation).
This piece explores three different synesthetic states:
I HEAR - I TASTE
I TOUCH - I SMELL
I TASTE - I SEE
To guide the entry into each of these synesthetic states, the voice of renowned Portuguese actor Albano Jerónimo is heard in voice-over, reading a short poetic text that dives into the mixture of sensations. (audio below)
Concerning the scenic ambiance, the projector bar acted as a key spatial and visual component - beginning nearly at ground level with seven spotlights that outlined seven cocoons of light beneath which the bodies were curled, then elevating simultaneously with the movement. This was accompanied by seven lanterns that shaped the visual atmosphere and were swallowed at the end. Black was the dominant color throughout the piece. Transparency was incorporated into both the set and costumes, evoking the overlapping layers between emotional and physical states. (sketches below)
(sinestesia) sketches
(sinestesia) sketches
(sinestesia) sketches
(sinestesia) I TASTE / I SEE intro text
(sinestesia) finale text
Maria Ana Diogo & Uriel Assis,
in (sinestesia)
maria ana diogo
Teaching
Creation
Contact
maria.a.diogo@gmail.com