studio gang explores the synthesis of architecture and dance

studio gang explores the synthesis of architecture and dance
photo by cheryl mann, courtesy of thodos dance chicago

studio gang has collaborated with thodos dance chicago to create a performance piece debuting at the institution’s 2014 winter concert. the interactive structures reference a process informally referred to as ‘jamming’, an exercise that involves the exploration of vacuum-supported membrane structures with load-bearing properties. the design approach, experimentation and subsequent realization was documented by creative agency spirit of space, whose in-depth video can be watched below.

‘collaborating with thodos dance chicago offered an opportunity for an exciting interdisciplinary exchange’, jeanne gang told designboom. ‘we were interested in the temporal qualities of dance and wanted to explore kinetic ‘change’ in the architecture that supports it. instead of designing a traditional backdrop, in front of which the dancers would perform, we set out to design a series of objects that the dancers could interact with and change.

‘the dance poses questions about the status of these abstract biomorphic dance partners while inviting the audience to speculate about their identity. are they abstract typographic, anthropomorphic, or marine? the bodies of the dancers fluctuate intriguingly between fluidity and rigidity, delineating a series of movements in response to these enigmatic objects and the spaces they create on stage as they change state. in ‘changes of phase’, there is a synergy between the mutable jamoeba-structures and the human body, and a new phenomenon created combining physics, dance, and architecture.’

jeanne gang exploring the load-bearing properties of vacuum-supported membrane structures
image courtesy of studio gang architects