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Thesis Info
- LABS ID
- 00572
- Thesis Title
- THEORY of FLIGHT : a fantasia of avian obsession
- Author
- Anna Lindemann
- E-mail
- aklindemann AT gmail.com
- 2nd Author
- 3rd Author
- Degree
- MFA
- Year
- 2011
- Number of Pages
- 126
- University
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- Thesis Supervisor
- Michael Century
- Supervisor e-mail
- century AT rpi.edu
- Other Supervisor(s)
- Kathy High, Shawn Lawson, David Rothenberg
- Language(s) of Thesis
- English
- Department / Discipline
- Electronic Arts
- Copyright Ownership
- Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License
- Languages Familiar to Author
- English, French
- URL where full thesis can be found
- goo.gl/KFG9Iv
- Keywords
- multimedia performance, Evo Devo, evolution, development, biology, bioart, animation, theater, lecture, music, generative music, soprano, flight, bird, genetics, transgenics, gene regulatory networks, regenerative limbs, axolotl, chukar, scientific poetic
- Abstract: 200-500 words
- In THEORY of FLIGHT—a fantasia of avian obsession—a scientist’s lecture on biologically based flight goes awry when she reveals her own extreme experiments. Dreams of flight, avian arias, a magical chalkboard, transgenic experiments, animations of cellular processes, orchestral bird songs, and molecular music intersect in this emotional and scientific pursuit of human flight. The music, animation, and story were created by Anna Lindemann. THEORY of FLIGHT premiered on April 16, 2011 in Troy, NY at the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center Goodman Studio. It was performed by soprano Lucy Fitz Gibbon as the bird spirit and Anna Lindemann as the scientist, directed by Emma Lunbeck, and with costumes by Kylin Mettler and lighting design by Jay Maury. The performance was followed by a Flying Feast concocted by Ellie Markovitch and Rose Mitchell—a multi-taste experience inspired by the avian world.
In this thesis I discuss the integration of different artistic disciplines and different biological sciences, as well as the broader integration of biology and art. And I discuss the creation of THEORY of FLIGHT, a performance intended to be an emotionally gripping and intellectually challenging experience emerging from the integration of music, performance, animation, and evolutionary developmental biology.