VOX:LUMEN – A documentary film directed by Timothy Garrett

VOX:LUMEN – A documentary film directed by Timothy Garrett

A documentary film on Zata Omm’s vox:lumen at Harbourfront Centre’s World Stage 2015

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?

Lighting itself with kinetic energy and renewable sources, vox:lumen imagines a situation in which the necessity of illumination structures every human interaction. The performance confronts the audience with the most elemental metaphor for understanding, as dance becomes the interplay of darkness and light – the light we make ourselves.

Produced with Harbourfront Centre’s World Stage and in association with York University (The School of Arts, Media, Performance and Design) and Aesthetec Studio.

World Premiere:
4th to 7th March 2015
Harbourfront Centre Theatre, Toronto, Canada.

Conceived, choreographed and directed by William Yong.
Dancers: Michael Caldwell, Irvin Chow, Daniel McArthur, Brendan Wyatt and William Yong.
Dance Intern: Will Hamilton
Music Composer: Andrea Rocca
Set designer and technology consultant: Ian Garrett
Workshops technical director and technical consultant: James McKernan with assistants Jonnathan Leong-Sem and Adam Brewer.
Technology designer, props designer and research partner: Mark Argo (Aesthetec Studio) with associate designer Phil So
Lighting designer: Simon Rossiter
Costume designer: Jody McLennan
Director of strategy and development: Randy S’ad
Production technical director and stage manager: Kirsten LaBonte
Dance and technology research strategist and video designer: Elysha Poirier
Creative process outside eye: Andrea Nann
Zata Omm company manager: Samantha Mehra
Energy Fair programme consultants: Ian Garrett, Stephen Trigg and John Wilson.
Documentary film maker: Timothy Garrett
Production assistant for documentary film: Hayley Eidelman
Additional guest artists in creative processes: Benjamin Landsberg, Nicholas Melymuk, Anastasia Shivrina, Anisa Tejpar, Mateo Galindo Torres and Naishi Wang.
Actress on film: Kristy Kennedy
Voices in music: Zoe Hunter (Narration), Antonia Reiner (Vocals and Spoken Word), Francesca Machiavelli, Darren Pangbourne, Arianna Robertson, Lorenzo Robertson, Niccolo’ Robertson, John Toomey, William Yong.
Musicians for music recording: Guy Cooper (Drums), Andrea Rocca (Synthesizers, Electronics, Guitar, Bass, Percussion.)

vox:lumen received two nominations for the 2015 Dora Mavor Moore Awards. The first was for ‘Outstanding Ensemble Performance’ and the second for Irvin Chow for ‘Outstanding Male Performance’.

***Zata Omm’s vox:lumen is produced with Harbourfront Centre’s World Stage and in association with York University (The School of Arts, Media, Performance and Design) and Aesthetec Studio. Early stage of technology research was funded by George Cedric Metcalf Charitable Foundation. vox:lumen is sponsored by Bullfrog Power and generously funded by Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, Harbourfront Centre and TD Friends of the Environment Foundation. Solar Energy devices are sponsored by Better Current and The Living City Campus at Kortright Centre for Conservation. Light-emitting diode (LED) stage lighting is sponsored and costumed made by A.C. Lighting Inc. Zata Omm’s energy fair displays are conceptualized by Ian Garrett and the components are sponsored by Asethetec Studio, Better Current, The Living City Campus at Kortright, York University and Tune Your Ride.