Artistic director Gideon Obarzanek collaborates with software wunderkind Frieder Weiss to present a distinct and unpredictable genre-defying dance at the NZ International Arts Festival.

Chunky Move's Glow is a solo performance lit by a video projector that responds to the dancers movements.

"It is a collaboration with the human body and projected video image to create aesthetic compositions and kinetic actions of a creature that is possibly not quite human."

Gideon tells TBI - "I like the influences dance has on other forms and also in turn how it is influenced and changed. People become very sensitised to viewing the body when it is represented in less familiar circumstances."Artistic director Gideon Obarzanek collaborates with software wunderkind Frieder Weiss to present a distinct and unpredictable genre-defying dance at the NZ International Arts Festival.

Chunky Move's Glow is a solo performance lit by a video projector that responds to the dancers movements.

"It is a collaboration with the human body and projected video image to create aesthetic compositions and kinetic actions of a creature that is possibly not quite human."

Gideon tells TBI - "I like the influences dance has on other forms and also in turn how it is influenced and changed. People become very sensitised to viewing the body when it is represented in less familiar circumstances."During what hours of the day do you feel most inspired?
Only the first hour after I wake up in morning. After that everything starts to become a little vague or appears complex.

How would a good friend describe your aesthetic or style?
Unpredictable

What aspect of your creative practice gives you the biggest thrill?
The very beginning of a new work. Everything seems possible at that stage. I feel like I am onto something completely new. That unfortunately changes as the work progresses.

How do you think your environment affects your work?
I am easily distracted and overwhelmed with life's demands. When creating new work I need very stable and predictable surrounds.

Do you like to look at the big picture or focus on the details?
I am absolutely a big picture person. So much so that I sometimes think I need to hire a choreographer for the details.

What's your number one business tip for surviving (and thriving) in the creative industries?
I think perseverance goes a long way. Trying to see the bigger picture where your work sits within a larger cultural context also helps.

How would you describe Glow and what does it represent?
Glow is a solo dance performance lit by a video projector that understands where the dancer and is also able to generate video images in response to the dancer's movements. It is a collaboration with the human body and projected video image to create aesthetic compositions and kinetic actions of a creature that is possibly not quite human.

How did you come up with the idea?
I have wanted for a long time to use data projectors as lighting instruments for dance rather than for image. When I met Frieder Weiss at the end of 2004 he demonstrated how projected light could understand and follow a body and how various algorithms could translate the movement data into kinetic response images. So we basically worked together and achieved this solo.

Are you always looking for different ways of presenting dance and why is this important?
I don't know if it is particularly important but I am interested in different ways dance can be experienced. I like the influences dance has on other forms and also in turn how it is influenced and changed. People become very sensitised to viewing the body when it is represented in less familiar circumstances.

What are you looking forward to about the NZ International Arts Festival?
I am in a rehearsal period when the festival is on so it's an opportunity to get away from the studio, be in a different city and most importantly see other people's work.

Why are these festivals important for countries like New Zealand?
Outside of a festival context very little international work travels to New Zealand or Australia so it's an opportunity to experience. It's also an important event for a whole lot of N.Z work to be performed for local audiences and for people from overseas.

Which of your projects to date has given you the most satisfaction?
Everything I've done has given me pleasure or has been important in a particular way so it's difficult to answer but some works tend to come together better than others in achieving what they set out to do. In that sense I have been particularly satisfied with more recent works such as Tense Dave and Glow.

Who or what has inspired you recently?
Recently I have been enjoying the theatre works of Forced Entertainment and also the sound visual installations of Ryoji Ikeda, originally from Dumb Type

If you could go back and choose a completely different career path to the one you've chosen, what would it be?
Something in marine science.

What place is always with you, wherever you go?
I do miss the wilderness of Australia if I've been away for awhile. However I doubt that would happen in NZ considering the staggering beauty and diversity of your landscape.

What's the best way to listen to music, and why?
In the studio loud on a big PA system late at night with no one around.

You are given a piece of string, a stick and some fabric. What do you make?
When I was a child I had a tendency to make bows and arrows. Maybe it would be the same.

What's the best stress relief advice you've ever been given?
Physical exercise. It's really quite amazing. If that doesn't work then seek medical advice.

What's great about today?
Today is my first rehearsal of my new project, Two Faced Bastard.

What's your big idea for 2008?
Learn kite surfing and get my iphone cracked.

Chunky Move's Glow is at the NZ International Arts Festival March 7-9

28/02/08