Chen Yi Studio: Current/Y at The Coronet Theatre
Taiwanese Artist Chen Yi’s Current/y Makes London Debut, Weaving Technology and Dance into a Virtual-Physical Stage to Prompt Reflection on the "Self" in the Digital Age.
The Cultural Division of the Taipei Representative Office in the UK has partnered with London’s renowned Coronet Theatre to present Current/y by Taiwanese cross-disciplinary artist Chen Yi, running for four performances from 17th to 19th September. This follows the successful showcase of Hung Dance’s Pull/Push at the venue in March this year. Yesterday evening’s premiere drew a packed house of UK arts and cultural figures. A reception was held after the performance for the Taiwanese artist to connect with local arts professionals, attended by Deputy Rep. Chiang Ya-chi of the Taipei Representative Office in the UK in a show of support.
Conceived and directed by Chen Yi, Current/y features choreography and dramaturgy by Chou Kuan-jou, with Tu Li-wei performing. Utilizing motion capture technology, the piece translates the dancer's physical movements into the actions of a digital character in real time. This enables the performer to dance alongside their virtual alter ego on the physical stage. As the live dancer and digital avatar continuously intertwine, the work gradually unveils a world constructed from data, algorithms, and online attention, prompting the audience to rethink the relationship between the physical body and digital identity.
The production incorporates large-scale projections, lasers, AI interactive imagery, and spatial audio alongside real-time motion capture to create a constantly evolving virtual landscape. Viewers observe not only the dancer’s physical form but also a secondary digital identity generated by those movements, yielding a viewing experience where the physical, virtual, real, and imagined overlap. Following the performance, Chen Yi engaged with attendees to share the creative philosophy behind Current/y, which stems from the concept of "virtual value," discussing how online attention, digital interaction, and data are becoming new forms of value in contemporary society.
The Cultural Division of Taipei Representative Office in the UK noted that The Coronet Theatre is a major London performing arts venue with a long history of introducing international artists and cross-disciplinary works. Featuring a performance style that merges digital art with the performing arts, the UK premiere of Current/y highlights the synthesis of technology and creative performance. It showcases Taiwan’s creative energy at the intersection of art and tech while opening up further possibilities for UK-Taiwan exchanges in contemporary art and technology.
Current/y is produced by Chen Yi Studio and Grand Logics Co., Ltd., co-produced by Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab (C-LAB), and supported by Taiwan's Ministry of Culture and C-LAB. A post-show talk with artist Chen Yi is scheduled for 18th September, offering the audience further insight into the creative concept behind the piece and fostering deeper engagement between Taiwanese artists and British audiences.
For further information, please visit: https://www.thecoronettheatre.com/whats-on/chen-yi-current-y/
臺灣藝術家陳乂《鎏／》(Chen Yi Studio: Current/y) 倫敦首演 科技與舞蹈交織打造虛實舞台 引領觀眾思考數位時代的「自我」
文化部駐英國代表處文化組與倫敦知名藝術中心王冠劇院（The Coronet Theatre）合作，繼今年3月邀請翃舞製作演出《推拉》之後，再次邀請臺灣跨域藝術家陳乂於昨（17）日至19日演出4場《鎏／》（Current/Y）。昨日晚間首演，吸引英國藝文界人士到場，現場座無虛席。演出後舉辦交流酒會，與臺灣藝術家及當地專業藝文人士交流，駐英國代表處公使江雅綺代表出席支持。
《鎏／》由陳乂發想及導演，周寬柔擔任編舞及表演構作，凃立葦擔任表演者。作品透過動態捕捉技術，將舞者的身體動作即時轉化為數位角色的行動，使舞者在實體舞台上與自己的虛擬分身共舞，隨著真人與數位化身在舞台上不斷交錯，作品逐步打開一個由數據、演算法及網路關注所構成的世界，讓觀眾重新思考真實身體與數位身分之間的關係。此次演出現場結合大型投影、雷射、AI互動影像及空間聲響，配合舞者的即時動態捕捉，創造出不斷變動的虛擬場景。觀眾不僅觀看舞者的身體，也同時觀看由舞者身體所生成的另一個數位身分，形成實體與虛擬、真實與想像彼此重疊的觀看經驗。演出後，陳乂與現場藝文界人士交流，分享《鎏／》從「虛擬價值」出發的創作思考，探討網路關注、數位互動及數據如何逐漸成為當代社會中新的價值形式。
文化部駐英國代表處文化組表示，王冠劇院為倫敦重要表演藝術場館，長期引介國際藝術家及跨領域作品。此次《鎏／》結合數位藝術與表演藝術的演出形式，於倫敦王冠劇院進行英國首演，以科技與表演藝術的跨域創作為核心，不僅呈現臺灣藝術與科技結合的創作能量，也為臺英雙方在當代藝術與科技創作領域的交流開啟更多可能。
《鎏／》由陳乂工作室、華麗邏輯有限公司製作，臺灣當代文化實驗場（C-LAB）共製，並獲文化部及C-LAB支持。9月18日另安排藝術家陳乂進行演後座談，與觀眾分享作品創作理念，進一步促進臺灣藝術家與英國觀眾之間的交流。
