eyeSpace (2006)


Duration: 20 minutes
Music: Mikel Rouse
Décor: & Costumes: Henry Samelson
Lighting: Josh Johnson

eyeSpace was originally conceived to have multiple iterations. The first version, which premiered in New York at the Joyce Theater in Oct. 2006, lasted 20 minutes and featured music by Mikel Rouse and décor and costumes by artist Henry Samelson.

Musicians Required: 1 on laptop.

Description
Mikel Rouse’s score incorporates the use of iPod Shuffle personal music listening devices and an environmental soundscape that is performed live by 1-2 musicians and projected throughout the theater. The score is crafted so that audience members can have a meaningful, unique listening experience, whether they are tuned into the iPod portion (with headphones on, shuffling through tracks at their own pace) or the ambient sound component (sans headphones).

Who provides the iPods?
MCDC travels with 1000 iPod Shuffles, which are distributed to audience members on a loan basis before each performance. In addition, up to 1000 Shuffle “splitters” are available so that two people can both connect to the same device with separate headphones. This means that up to 2000 audience members can be accommodated per performance.

Can I download the score before the show?
As an incentive to audience members, you are eligible to download a portion of the score, gratis with ticket purchase. Details will be provided at the time of ticket purchase.

What if I have my own iPod, and I want to bring it to the show?
If you own an iPod, load the tracks in advance onto your device (using the link provided when you purchase your ticket) and bring them with you to theater to use during the eyeSpace performance.

What if I have never used an iPod before?
The experience has been designed so that audience members, no matter the level of technical expertise, can enjoy participating. Ushers handing out Shuffles will be briefed on the device’s basic functions and can provide patrons with instructions, tips, and answers to frequently asked questions. Each Shuffle also comes with an instruction card that contains a simple diagram of the device and a few operating details.

How will I know when to use the iPod?
An announcement will be made during the performance at the exact moment that audience members are supposed to press “play.”

View more images in the Merce Cunningham Flickr Galleries


Decor:
Henry Samelson, Blues Arrive Not Anticipating What Transpires Even Between Themselves. A printed front-lit backdrop characterized by bright colors.

Costumes:
Henry Samelson: varying shades of blue full-body unitards.

Lighting:
Design by MCDC Director of Production Josh Johnson. Gobos through haze which echo the backdrop; deep blues and lavender stage.

eyeSpace was made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Doris Duke Fund for Dance of the National Dance Project, a program administered by the New England Foundation for the Arts with funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. eyeSpace was commissioned in part by Carnival Center for the Performing Arts, Miami, FL; University of California at Davis; and The Joyce Theater’s Stephen and Cathy Weinroth fund for New York.

Henry Samelson’s décor commissioned by the Cunningham Dance Foundation.

Music commissioned by Cunningham Dance Foundation and support for International Cloud Atlas provided by The John Cage Trust and Betty Freeman.