Archival Item
Mason No Boundaries Podcast - From the Center Out
Archival Item Type
Sound recordings
Identifier
00742
Creation Date
2021-11-12
Description
“Moving Memory” is a profile story about wanting to preserve the movements and gestures of different generations of dancers. Gesel Mason has spent the last 15 years using her body and digital media to document the work of contemporary Black choreographers in the U.S. She first asked dance legends like Donald McKayle, Bebe Miller and Kyle Abraham, among others, to teach her a solo, and then performed live a selection twice. Now, Gesel is figuring out how to make sure this legacy is reproduced both on the screens and bodies of future generations. The result is the history project No Boundaries. We find out how does it feel to try to keep a story alive while memories are literally fading from our bodies.
The profile story would sound like a mini documentary from the podcast Short Cuts, presented by Josie Long and produced by Falling Trees/BBC Radio 4. A delightful and adventurous audio experience wanting to draw people into the feel of translating the human body to virtual environments and back. It'll be one long piece of 30-45 minutes max meant to be listened in podcast platforms.
“Moving Memory” connects with the bigger story of the human body and its ever-evolving relationship with media. We’re now living through probably one of its pivotal moments due to COVID-19 and our increase of screen time. As a Black choreographer and educator, Gesel can speak to the vital experience of seeking in recent years ways of inhabiting virtual environments that are more conscious and sustainable.
This profile story aims to capture the creative tensions between bodily memory and digital archive through sounds inspired by tactile and digital experiences. On the one hand, I’m thinking steps, turns, and leaps. Arms and legs brushing against each other. Breath. The echo that can often be heard in an empty performing arts center during a rehearsal. On the other hand, I’m thinking about the manipulation of digitization equipment. For example, recording the texture of the film tapes Gesel is currently digitizing. Gesel and I work for UT-Austin, so we’re spending September through November in the same city. We spoke and she’s interested in moving forward with the story idea. Our interviews can be conducted online or in person. Gesel was offered studio space in one of UT’s performing arts centers this Fall semester, and said it’s possible for us to maintain physical distance if we decide to use it. I would use a handheld mic boom pole for the interview and general movement shots. The sounds that require close mic placement, like her feet elevating from the floor, for instance, can be captured using contact microphones.
I'm actually planning on pitching the profile story to the podcast Short Cuts, presented by Josie Long and produced by Falling Trees/BBC Radio 4, the podcast HowSounds, presented by Rob Rosenthal and produced by Transom/PRX, and the podcast The Organist, presented by Andrew Leland and produced by McSweeney’s/KCRW.
Ana Cecilia Calle will assist with the recording and mixing of the profile story. Twitter: @laphdj
The profile story would sound like a mini documentary from the podcast Short Cuts, presented by Josie Long and produced by Falling Trees/BBC Radio 4. A delightful and adventurous audio experience wanting to draw people into the feel of translating the human body to virtual environments and back. It'll be one long piece of 30-45 minutes max meant to be listened in podcast platforms.
“Moving Memory” connects with the bigger story of the human body and its ever-evolving relationship with media. We’re now living through probably one of its pivotal moments due to COVID-19 and our increase of screen time. As a Black choreographer and educator, Gesel can speak to the vital experience of seeking in recent years ways of inhabiting virtual environments that are more conscious and sustainable.
This profile story aims to capture the creative tensions between bodily memory and digital archive through sounds inspired by tactile and digital experiences. On the one hand, I’m thinking steps, turns, and leaps. Arms and legs brushing against each other. Breath. The echo that can often be heard in an empty performing arts center during a rehearsal. On the other hand, I’m thinking about the manipulation of digitization equipment. For example, recording the texture of the film tapes Gesel is currently digitizing. Gesel and I work for UT-Austin, so we’re spending September through November in the same city. We spoke and she’s interested in moving forward with the story idea. Our interviews can be conducted online or in person. Gesel was offered studio space in one of UT’s performing arts centers this Fall semester, and said it’s possible for us to maintain physical distance if we decide to use it. I would use a handheld mic boom pole for the interview and general movement shots. The sounds that require close mic placement, like her feet elevating from the floor, for instance, can be captured using contact microphones.
I'm actually planning on pitching the profile story to the podcast Short Cuts, presented by Josie Long and produced by Falling Trees/BBC Radio 4, the podcast HowSounds, presented by Rob Rosenthal and produced by Transom/PRX, and the podcast The Organist, presented by Andrew Leland and produced by McSweeney’s/KCRW.
Ana Cecilia Calle will assist with the recording and mixing of the profile story. Twitter: @laphdj