Toni Dove "Spectropia" November 1, 2007

"Not only sets a new mark for interactive works, but opens the door to a new form of aesthetic experience…that changes forever our conceptions of narrative and fiction."—ArtByte

Theater fans and those interested in new media technology will be fascinated by Toni Dove’s Spectropia. Stage artists like The Builders Association, Cynthia Hopkins, and Big Art Group have recently shown how imaginatively new media can energize theater. Now interactive digital video innovator Toni Dove adds a new dimensions to the hybridization of media arts and performance.

Some may recall Dove’s Artificial Changelings from the Wexner Center’s groundbreaking exhibition Body Mécanique, which explored the interface of new media and emergent art forms back in 1998. With Spectropia, Dove has created a futuristic video experience whose narrative is shaped by live performers. They trigger its flow and create interactive scenarios involving audience reactions much like how a DJ builds a live mix. Spectropia, Dove’s sci-fi heroine, travels back in time from the dystopian near future to a noirish version of the 1930s, after the stock market crash. The story uses the metaphor of supernatural possession to investigate desire, consumer culture, dislocation, and identity: How do I know who am I? Who is pulling the strings?

Official Website: http://www.wexarts.org/pa/index.php?eventid=2327