Sophont in Action

October 8, 2015close
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Desirée Holman, Sophont in Action, 2015. Red Rocks Park, Morrison, CO. Courtesy of the artist and Black Cube.
Desirée Holman, Sophont in Action, 2015. Red Rocks Park, Morrison, CO. Courtesy of the artist and Black Cube. <1 of 4>
Desirée Holman, Sophont in Action, 2015. Red Rocks Park, Morrison, CO. Courtesy of the artist and Black Cube.
Desirée Holman, Sophont in Action, 2015. Red Rocks Park, Morrison, CO. Courtesy of the artist and Black Cube. <2 of 4>
Desirée Holman, Sophont in Action, 2015. Red Rocks Park, Morrison, CO. Courtesy of the artist and Black Cube.
Desirée Holman, Sophont in Action, 2015. Red Rocks Park, Morrison, CO. Courtesy of the artist and Black Cube. <3 of 4>
Desirée Holman, Sophont in Action, 2015. Red Rocks Park, Morrison, CO. Courtesy of the artist and Black Cube.
Desirée Holman, Sophont in Action, 2015. Red Rocks Park, Morrison, CO. Courtesy of the artist and Black Cube. <4 of 4>

October 1, 2015 

Desirée Holman was a 2015 Black Cube Artist Fellow. Sophont in Action was an otherworldly performance that combined choreographed dances with video projection mapping on the sandstone rock formations in Colorado’s Red Rocks Park. 

Sophont in Action

Sophont in Action

Desirée Holman

Black Cube Artist Fellow, Desirée Holman, presents Sophont in Action a site-specific performance that featured residents of the local community. This elaborate live performance built on Holman’s body of work exploring the overlapping terrain of New Age mysticism, science fiction, and technology. The performance brings to life the full spectrum of related sub-cultures and their influence on the mainstream through investigations of the past, present, and future.

About the term ‘Sophont’

The term ‘sophont’ was coined by science fiction author Poul Anderson to describe intelligent beings with extraordinary emotional and reasoning capacity.

Guides 

Identified by their gauzy smocks and flashing screens, ‘Sophont in Action’ Guides direct the audience along their journey.

Time Travelers 

These characters represent the elders who experienced the American ‘60s counterculture movement and embrace ideas of communalism and modern incarnations of Bohemianism. Inspiration for their sculptural headgear comes from an equal mixture of tinfoil hat and recent wearable technologies such as Google Glass. The animated helmets search for signals in an attempt to make contact with the beyond. Marked by their Psionics helmets and white linen frocks emblazoned with marbleized cosmic patterns, these psychic-fiction human hybrids have the ability to move backward and forward in time.

Ecstatic Dancers

The Ecstatic Dancers believe that through focused free-formed dance they can effect positive change in the world. Informed by the culture of Conscious Dance, they practice the New Age ideologies of self-spirituality and individualism. These characters don calf-length unisex robes with designs based on Holman’s paintings of outer space and auras.

Indigo Children 

Indigo children, according to a pseudoscientific New Age concept, are children who are believed to possess special, unusual, and sometimes supernatural traits or abilities – such as telepathy. These digital natives embody techno-advanced intelligence and are often described as those who will usher in the next stage in human evolution. Adorned with indigo dyed costumes and hands, these characters are believed to be highly empathic and to possess psychic abilities.

Desirée Holman, Sophont in Action, 2015. Red Rocks Park, Morrison, CO. Courtesy of the artist and Black Cube.
Desirée Holman, Sophont in Action, 2015. Red Rocks Park, Morrison, CO. Courtesy of the artist and Black Cube.
Desirée Holman, Sophont in Action, 2015. Red Rocks Park, Morrison, CO. Courtesy of the artist and Black Cube.
Desirée Holman, Sophont in Action, 2015. Red Rocks Park, Morrison, CO. Courtesy of the artist and Black Cube.
Desirée Holman, Sophont in Action, 2015. Red Rocks Park, Morrison, CO. Courtesy of the artist and Black Cube.
Desirée Holman, Sophont in Action, 2015. Red Rocks Park, Morrison, CO. Courtesy of the artist and Black Cube.

This exhibition was made possible through partnership with Denver's Arts & Venues.

CAST

Time Travelers: A'ra Blair, Martin A. David, Linda Graham, Maribeth Flanagan, Patricia Jones, Barbara McGhee, Bruce Price

Ecstatic Dancers: Lauren Beale, Alice Glamoure, David Grigorian, Brooke McNamera, Leatizia Imàn Moussaid, Kevin Tenorio

Indigo Children: Lila Beale, Pierce Benard, Marcus Crawford, Deshawn Davis, LaRyssa Scott, Clio Torbenson, Tian Torbenson, Maylin de la Trinidad, Palmer Woelfel, Udo Zeile

Guides: Peggy Espinosa, Patrick Mueller, Tay Melone, Leodis Smith, Sarah Szeto, Alyssa Torre

SOUNDTRACK 

Angel Deradoorian, Dance, 2013. 11 

min. 19 secs. Courtesy of the artist.

CREW 

Desirée Holman, Director/ Artist 

Cortney Lane Stell, Curator 

Control Group Productions, Choreographer 

Ruth Bruno, Producer 

Lucas McMahon, Production Manager 

Andrew Almanza, Intern

Dave Fodel, Technical Advising

Katelyn Simkins, Makeup

Chad Robertson, Bus Production Assistant

Carli Franks, Shop Manager

Kerry Kiley, Wardrobe