Remeber Me / Experimental Video Projection for Dance Performance

Remember Me

Video Scenography for Dance Performance
Medium: Live art
Choreography: Kirill Burlov
Soundscape: J. C. Wright, Marc Waterman, Ali Byworth
Performers: City Academy
Performed at: Sadlers Wells, November 2024

“Remember me,” whispers the dust.

Peter Huchel

'Remember Me' originated from choreographer Kirill Burlov’s vision, which we developed together in close collaboration with sound artist and composer J. C. Wright. The piece was performed by City Academy students on the Sadler’s Wells stage as part of their Ascends show in November 2024.

Together, we explored the tension between the insignificance and grandeur of human existence, drawing inspiration from Joseph Brodsky’s poignant words (quoting a two-liner by Peter Hichel) in his essay "In Praise of Boredom”:

“And do you know what the dust says when it’s being wiped off the table?

“Remember me,” whispers the dust.”

From this starting point, we shaped a piece that invites reflection on memory, mortality, and the echoes we leave behind. I created an experimental video projection that became the performance’s visual core, a shifting and evocative backdrop that responded to the dancers’ movements. Meanwhile, Julian’s mesmerising soundscape enriched the narrative, weaving a sonic tapestry that guided the audience through the layers of the piece, adding an almost shamanic depth to its themes.

The students’ performance brought the concept to life, embodying the delicate interplay of presence and remembrance that Kirill and I envisioned. The work also drew on text that muses on the permanence of fleeting thoughts and the universal drive to seek meaning. Through this collaboration, we sought to create a deeply immersive, multidisciplinary experience—one that resonates with universal questions of existence, maybe disturbs a little, and makes a viewer reflect on their own role in the grand scheme of things.

The piece is based on Kirill Burlov's vison. The following text was used as a thread that weaves together movement, visuals and sound:

“In the quiet moments, when the dust settles, I find myself contemplating the echoes of my existence. Each entry in my diary, every note on my calendar, every fleeting thought—I imagine them being read 2000 years from now, or perhaps even later. What if everything burns, yet by some magic or strange luck, this exact piece of paper survives? I could be that unknown mummy, the random figure in a Renaissance painting, or the body double for Michelangelo’s David. Does everyone feel this way? Has it already happened to me? Do I relive the same reality over and over?

I am not one of the greats, not now, not ever. I haven’t done anything to leave a trace or alter the course of human history. Sometimes I feel like I have spiritual amnesia, as if I know so much and have seen so many faces, but I’ve forgotten. Sometimes I feel like a robot, guided by instincts and a predetermined program. Does our mind and consciousness stay on Earth, reincarnating? Are we awake? Could someone study life on Earth through my recorded thoughts? Am I eternal? What drives us to seek eternity? Is this how we all are, or just me? Are you special? Am I special? Are you special enough?”

To create the experimental animation that was projected on the stage I used my sketchbooks, ephemera, family archives - my grandmother's poems, notes and 'Samizdat' articles retyped through carbon paper on a typewriter back in USSR in the 80s. I used stop motion, frame by frame and After Effects to bring them to life.