Words by Giordana Patumi.
The online premiere of Human Signs created by Yuval Avital in collaboration with Stefania Ballone, Niccolo’ Granieri, Tychonas Michailidis and Monkeys Videolab and many international performers, will be released on 12 May 12th 2020 on YouTube at 7.30 pm CET.
In a period where connection is so important, the event will unify the great protagonists of the contemporary dance scene and vocal soloists from all around the globe, including carriers of ancient traditions, contemporary and experimental pioneers. This participatory art project, based in Milan for the entire world to share, will be presented online through a series of audiovisual creations; interpreting the viral aesthetic as a multimedia choir of vulnerability, spirituality, inner strength, hopes and fears.
Imagine this utopian, virtual stage. The voices of the greatest soloists of classical and contemporary music – such as David Moss, Audrey Chen, Arianna Savall and Petter Udland Johansen – are accompanied by Rina Schenfeld, founder of the Batsheva Dance Company; the Congolese performer Dorine Lubumashi interacting with the first dancers of Teatro Alla Scala Mick Zeni and Antonella Albano. Other notable artists who are in the project include dancers from Teatro Alla Scala, Aterballetto, Opera de Paris, Kibbutz Dance Company, Le Ballet de Montecarlo, Ballet National Sodre Uruguay, Beijing Dance Company, and Kor’sia.
Over 60 artists from all over the globe have joined this participatory creation, who in collaboration with Stefania Ballone and together with a multimedia team, inaugurate a weekly series (every Tuesday at 7.30 pm CET) of premieres of oneiric performances on YouTube, expressing an intimate and powerful reflection of the human sign.
This is the latest creation of composer and building gallery multimedia artist Yuval Avital. In a time of forced reclusion, it creates a project focused on the two most primordial forms of human expression: gesture and voice.
Human Signs started one month ago when Yuval, feeling he could not content all the contrasting emotions and sensations he was having during the first lockdown, took his tablet and filmed himself singing a wordless chant for 12 minutes. Ӭ
Stefania Ballone, dancer and choreographer of the Teatro Alla Scala in Milan is the curator of the project’s choreography. Thanks to her own experience, Ballone brings the world of international and high-level ballet and contemporary dance within Human Signs, coordinating the dancers throughout the process, from the moment of the selection to the finished artwork.
The chosen dancers are asked to enter into dialogue with Avital’s mantra, expressing their honest and truthful testimonies through their own art.
Bringing to life this ambitious initiative required a group of volunteer experts and creatives: Tychonas Michailidis (sound editing) and Niccolo’ Granieri (software programming) from Birmingham City University’s Digital Media Technology Lab and the Roman Monkeys VideoLab (video editing), together with numerous collaborators and advisors that have decided to marry this artistic dream with their time and knowledge.
The artistic result is a complex artwork divided into chapters, which will be published online weekly. Talks and testimonies will be available on the social media channels, while computational generative systems will be released on the website, allowing the creations of different dialogues between the artists.
Human Signs is in constant growth. The first chapter of the ongoing project will be out on Tuesday 12 May at 7.30 pm CET, presenting the opening audiovisual ensemble that will include Stefania Ballone, Audrey Chen, Sofia Kaikov (traditional voice of Bukhara), Angel Mafafo (South African dancer), David Moss, Sarah Maria Samaniego, Rina Schenfeld, Badara Seck (Sufi singer from Senegal) and Mick Zeni, together to the omnipresent chant of Yuval Avital.
Instagram: @ofhumansigns Facebook: @facebook.com/humansignsproject/ Website: www.Human-Signs.com