PAAR

Paar is a VR dance film split between a physical and virtual world. Filmed in the iconic Tieranatomisches Theater (TAT), Paar uses 360° video together with motion capture technology to follow a journey of discovery between linked bodies, material, movement and spaces.

Drawing on the eerie past of the site’s animal anatomical research, two ghostly beings dance across parallel spaces, whilst discovering their human bodies and physical environment. Their movement journey imparts an energetic transmission of intimacy, curiosity and possibility via choreographic forces of glitch and fluidity. The dancers discover the tactile nature of their flesh and architectural surroundings for the first time. In Paar, dance becomes a language through which the story is told, and the scenography shifts and materializes into expansive imaginings.

In Paar, the audience stands center within the VR experience. Choreography, sound and light pull the audience to rotate in place, widening the visual periphery in 3D. The audience is invited to join the dancers in their discovery of the liminal space between virtual and physical worlds. The immersive experience reveals a transformation of past to present; avatar to human; material to immaterial existence.

The choreography and direction are devised by Christian Stein (Object Space Agency) together with choreographer Carly Lave and set to an ambient sonic landscape by the artist Arushi Jain founder of the label Ghunghru Sounds.

Paar integrated multiple technological components to drive the composition of video across physical and virtual space.

• 360° Video

• Photogrammetry

• Sound Spatialization

• Motion Capture Technology

Our team used the Insta360 Pro camera together with the Rokoko motion capture suit to record sequences of choreography alongside live 360° footage. We integrated this real-world footage with a virtual model of the theater that was specially designed for the performance. Paar was shot as a 6K stereoscopic recording.

The virtual model is developed from a 3D photorealistic rendering, created via a process of photogrammetry shot by drone technology and DSLRs. We composited these images in Unreal Engine to create a hyper-realistic model to splice with our live film, making for 180° of virtual world and 180° of physical world viewable in VR.

The sound is further spatialized to the theater’s environment and choreography. As the audience rotates through the experience, layers of sound pan and occupy 3D space in the virtual world. I worked closely together with collaborator Arushi Jain to spatialize the score in alignment with choreographic choice and transition.

In Paar, the dancer’s movement is tracked via motion capture technology. The movement data is placed on avatars dancing through the virtual space. This recorded movement data will be mapped into the virtual environment of the TAT and edited together during post-production.

In developing the choreography, I sought to play with the circularity of the Tieranatomisches Theater Berlin, using spirals and revolutions around the space, and within the dancers’ own bodies. The movement was inspired by patterns revolving around the room, creating a narrative throughline splicing the physical theater and virtual rendering of the theater. Furthermore, the ancestral past of the site inspired ritual quality in movement aesthetic and avatar caricature. The avatars’ appearance harken to the animal bodies, and carcasses, that moved through the venue’s past decades before.

The choreography plays with the circularity of the theater, using spirals and revolutions around the space, and within the dancers’ own bodies. The movement was inspired by patterns revolving around the room, creating a narrative throughline splicing the physical theater and virtual rendering of the TAT.

Together the project integrates cutting-edge technology to devise a new format to experience performance across physical and virtual spaces of the Tieranatomisches Theater.

Creative Team
Project Lead & Concept: Christian Stein
Choreography + Direction: Carly Lave

Dancers
Sean Nederlof, Yasmin Schönnman

Costumes
Marina Stillger

Sound
Zid by Arushi Jain

Technical Team
Motion Capture Technology (Production):
James Hudon

Virtual Architecture and Video Editor
Valentin Hanau

Motion Capture Technology (Post-Production)
Alvis Misjuns

Avatar Design
Will Atwood

Photography + Videography (2D)
Jorge Duarte

Premiere: June 9 2022
Location: Tieranatomisches Theater, Charité Berlin, Berlin, Germany

Founded by Object Space Agency, Matters of Activity Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Support from: gamelab.berlin, Tieranatomisches Theater Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and GHUNGHRU Sounds