Choreographer William Yong proposes a future in which human labour produces energy and the pleasure of movement works to integrate technology into the social sphere. Thanks to a multi-year creative partnership with ground-breaking researchers at York University and interactive designers Aesthetec Studio, Zata Omm is undertaking a formal experiment of the most absolute practicality: What does a show that is powered by sustainability look like?

Starting with our first R&D collaboration in 2011, Aesthetec Studio has been working closely with Zata Omm Dance Projects towards the production of the ground-breaking performance, vox:lumen. First working with objects that translate kinetic energy to electricity, then experimenting with LED props, vox:lumen is the result of years of explorations into how interactive technologies can be used within expressive mediums – the most challenging of which is dance.

For vox:lumen we created four principal objects: LED-illuminated cubes, a fly-wheel generator platform that powers a spinning LED display, a persistence-of-vision stick for writing with light, and a collection of over twenty kinetically-controlled lamps. All objects contain wireless communication for remotely trigging key sequences from the light board (using DMX protocol).

The show premiered as part of the World Stage festival in Toronto in March 2015 and is in preparation for international touring.

Our Roles

  • Creative Collaboration & Design
  • Technical Planning & Consulting
  • Custom Electronics Design
  • Custom Electronics Fabrication
  • Theatre Tech & Support


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