MeMoSa: Movement Media Salon| Your Mind, Girls... by Movement Lab Spring 2025 Artist-in-residence Hope Hutman
Your Mind, Girls... uses the framework of mixed reality theater to examine the implications of an algorithm-controlled society on individual autonomy. Inspired by Ntozake Shange's "Liliane," (adapted with permission) and set in the near future, the performance features a live actor and digital avatars interacting and in conversation with one another - creating a compelling dialogue around freedom and control in a technologically mediated world.
The audience can choose to attend any of the following presentations, each including: the artist sharing their research process, performance, and a brief Q&A. Due to the limited number of VR headsets, the capacity for each session is 20 people.
Thursday, April 24th
5:15-6:00 PM (Doors 5:00 PM)
6:30-7:15 PM (Doors 6:15 PM)
7:45-8:30 PM (Doors 7:30 PM)
Artist Notes:
Mixed reality storytelling is a nascent medium – think the early days of film. As a researcher and artist-in-residence at the Movement Lab, I am exploring opportunities with this technology to create complex and memorable stories about the human experience in this new medium. Shange understood that the body is the site of knowledge, memory, and resistance. This insistence on embodied knowledge provides a crucial framework for considering how emerging technologies, like mixed reality, challenge our very understanding of what it means to be human. In a world increasingly mediated by technology, particularly systems that can capture and manipulate information, Shange's work compels us to question the implications for our autonomy and self-determination. What happens to our sense of self when knowledge and experience, so deeply intertwined with our physical being, can be abstracted, stored, and potentially controlled by external forces? My exploration in Your Mind, Girls… uses mixed reality to delve into this tension, examining how technology might both augment and potentially erode the fundamental connection between our bodies, our knowledge, and our freedom to define ourselves.
At the same time, I am experimenting with the tech to explore the unique challenges of mixed reality performance and the human - XR bridge. My hope is to develop best practices for directing humans and avatars ensuring that digital elements interact predictably with the physical environment and human performers.
My process involves research in the Ntozake Shange Archive at Barnard College and story development that begins with an initial draft, then devised collaboratively with the whole creative team led by director Kym Moore. For the XR development, Kevin Laibson, experience director at Agile Lens, brings a background in theater and XR development, and Agile Lens is our technical partner. Tony Sheeder of Projeckt Media is our artistic director for XR.
This work has been a deeply collaborative effort, and I am grateful for the contributions of Dawn Troupe, Rob Johanson, Kineta Kunutu, Tẹmídayọ Amay, Pat Maliwat, Allison Costa, Yunte Lee, Moti Margolin, Kevin Laibson, Tony Sheeder, and Kym Moore. This presentation would not have happened without the support of Agile Lens and the Movement Lab.”
Hope Hutman (she/they) is an Oakland-based artist whose work examines the impact of technology on culture and the evolving nature of human experience. Influenced by Relational Aesthetics, participatory art practices, and the post-Internet movement, Hutman employs a diverse range of media—transmedia, streaming, games, VR/AR/XR, and code—to craft immersive installations, performances, and digital experiences. Their work explores how technology impacts our understanding of selfhood and connection in an increasingly digitized world. Hutman's practice invites audiences to actively engage with these concepts, blurring the lines between the physical and virtual realms.
Hutman holds an MFA in Digital Art and New Media from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Their exhibitions, performances, and screenings have been presented at various venues and platforms including the Williamstown Theater Festival, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Gray Area (SF), and on Twitch.tv. A passionate educator and mentor, Hutman is dedicated to fostering the next generation of artists and creators. They also serve on the board of the Immersive Art Alliance.
Lead Artist, Narrative Design, Story: Hope Hutman; Director: Kym Moore; XR Concept Art Director: Tony Sheeder; XR Technical Consultant: Kevin Laibson; XR development and producing partner: Agile Lens; Stage Manager: Pat Malwat; Sound Design: Robert M Johanson; Lighting Design: Allison Costa; Performers: Dawn L Troupe, Kineta Kunutu, Tẹmídayọ Amay, Robert Johanson
SHOW INFO:
To visit, please RSVP or contact us via email at movement@barnard.edu at least 24 hours before the event. We will coordinate your entry through the main entrance (3009 Broadway). Visitors with Barnard/ Columbia IDs can walk in.