The Stage is (a)Live

title: The Stage is (a)Live

authors: Joana Chicau and Renick Bell

short synopsis: a web based installation that stages the interactions between algorithmic dancers that set into motion a myriad of audio pieces and visual elements. This work is part of an on-going project called Choreographies of the Circle & Other Geometries (http://www.geometries.xyz/index.html), a research on socio-technical protocols for collaborative audio-visual live coding and a corresponding peer-to-peer environment programmed in JavaScript.

online version of the artwork can be found at: https://www.geometries.xyz/theStageIsAlive


Joana Chicau is a graphic designer, coder, researcher — with a background in dance — currently based in London. In her practice she interweaves web programming languages and environments with choreography. She researches the intersection of the body with the constructed, designed, programmed environment, aiming at widening the ways in which digital sciences is presented and made accessible to the public. She has been actively participating and organizing events with performances involving multi-location collaborative coding, algorithmic improvisation, open discussions on gender equality and activism. Recent work, news and updates: www.joanachicau.com

Renick Bell is a computer musician, programmer, and teacher — currently based in Taiwan. His current research interests are live coding, improvisation, and algorithmic art using open source software. He is the author of Conductive, a library for live coding in the Haskell programming language. He has released music on labels, including Lee Gamble’s UIQ, Rabit’s Halcyon Veil, Seagrave, and Quantum Natives. He graduated from the doctoral program at Tama Art University in Tokyo, Japan. Originally from West Texas, he previously lived in New York City and Taipei, Taiwan. Web: http://renickbell.net