sebastiaan smink

IN BETWEEN PHYSICAL AND VIRTUAL

As the boundary between physical and virtual reality becomes increasingly fluid, Act Natural || Virtual Act explores what happens to human expression when the body enters the digital realm. Developed by artists Sebastiaan Smink and Axel Schoterman, the work takes the form of an experimental dance film, using movement as a starting point to question where the natural ends and the virtual begins.

Contemporary dancer Rex Collins’ improvised choreography was captured through motion tracking and transformed into a digital performance. Using a procedural system, the movement gradually alters the colour, material and form of the virtual body until the human figure dissolves into an abstract digital sculpture. The accompanying score follows a similar process, with cello and synthesizer performances by Maarten Vos digitally fragmented and reassembled into new textures and rhythms. Together, the image and sound transform a physical act into a constantly evolving virtual one.