MISCHIEVOUS. TOPICAL. SPECTACLE.
An original live dance performance using film, text and innovative digital technology to explode audience’s expectations of the kinds of stories dance can tell. Centred around a fictional interview between a journalist and a politician embroiled in a scandal, DEEPFAKE tackles complex political & social issues through the interplay of movement and narrative.
DEEPFAKE speaks directly to the global uncertainties of today, where the very notion of objective truth is increasingly fragile and contested and where A.I. allows the creation of images and video that are indistinguishable from reality. In the setting of the TV studio, an ensemble of chroma key performers clad in green morph suits playfully reveal the manipulation in plain sight using real time green screen effects and live dance. These “green goons” become a metaphor for the politician’s half truths and lies – analogue and digital combine to interrogate misinformation and the crumbling notion of objective truth.
THE MAKING OF DEEPFAKE
“We first became interested in the choreographic possibilities of the green screen facilities at DanceEast after Brendan Keaney [former DanceEast Artistic Director & Chief Executive] invited us to experiment with their new facilities. We workshopped there for a few days – playing with illusions and seeing what developed. We started to develop little sequences that fractured, images that were similar but told different stories. The green screen itself felt like a playful metaphor for seeing only part of the picture.
Our process started very physically and actually using bodies in space, playing with simple choreographic ideas and images. We tried to create ‘special effects’ in a very lo-fi way. The fact that you could see the green screen mechanics somehow didn’t take away from the magic, it enhanced it for us. From there, we talked with our dramaturg Jeff about the idea of spaces where green screens are used, which led on to TV studios and interviews – and the concept of an interview as a hyper focused framing device for a show.” – Jess and Morgs
"Ambitious and punchy...ground-breaking production"
The Scotsman (for Coppelia for Scottish Ballet)
"Sparky duo from London, known as Jess and Morgs, bring their audacious blend of choreography and live camerawork... the piece fizzes with ideas and style”
The Guardian (for Arena for Paris Opera Ballet)
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