The performance artist remixing the human body clock in real time
- Text by Advertorial
It’s fair to say 2016 wasn’t a vintage year. Brexit, the birth of the ‘post-truth’ age and the irrepressible rise of Donald Trump to the most powerful position on the planet, President of the USA, are just some of the reasons to consign it to the dustbin of history.
But look around you and weigh the positives against the negatives: The giant leaps forward in art, music, technology and fashion more than outweigh the steps backward it seems the world as a whole is making.
Now distill your perception down to this very moment, and you’ll realise that this could be the most exciting time to be alive. If not now, when? If not here, where?
Award-winning choreographer, sound and visual artist Darren Johnston has created a unique project that serves as an invitation to embrace everything good that’s happening right this second and truly experience the ‘now’.
Inspired by the human “body clock” – or Circadian Rhythm, to use its proper title – a 24-hour biological cycle that regulates physical, mental and behavioural changes like sleep-wake cycles, Darren has engineered the world’s first live TVC, which continuously changes over the course of 12 hours. Captured using multiple live cameras and data feeds, programmatically edited into a single stream, the film is unique every time it’s watched.
As the Circadian Rhythm responds primarily to light and darkness, Darren’s performance uses movement and light to artistically represent the average person’s day. The score is re-arranged live in the studio throughout the event’s 12 hour run and musicians encouraged to improvise over it, to convey the sense that each and every moment is unpredictable yet perfect – with no guaranteed connection to what came before or what follows.
The ambitious project is part of the Mercedes-Benz Now Experience, a celebration of the seemingly futuristic electric technology that is available today – both on and off the road – thanks to Mercedes–Benz’s new EQ line. Merging cutting-edge tech with emotionality, the electric mobility ecosystem encompasses everything from vehicles to novel home energy storage systems.
Watch the real-time action unfold at now.mercedesbenz.com
You might like
Remembering New York’s ’90s gay scene via its vibrant nightclub flyers
Getting In — After coming out in his 20s, David Kennerley became a fixture on the city’s queer scene, while pocketing invites that he picked up along the way. His latest book dives into his rich archive.
Written by: Miss Rosen
On Alexander Skarsgård’s trousers, The Rehearsal, and the importance of weirdos
Freaks and Finances — In the May edition of our monthly culture newsletter, columnist Emma Garland reflects on the Swedish actor’s Cannes look, Nathan Fielder’s wild ambition, and Jafaican.
Written by: Emma Garland
Capturing life in the shadows of Canada’s largest oil refinery
The Cloud Factory — Growing up on the fringes of Saint John, New Brunswick, the Irving Oil Refinery was ever present for photographer Chris Donovan. His new photobook explores its lingering impacts on the city’s landscape and people.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Susan Meiselas captured Nicaragua’s revolution in stark, powerful detail
Nicaragua: June 1978-1979 — With a new edition of her seminal photobook, the Magnum photographer reflects on her role in shaping the resistance’s visual language, and the state of US-Nicaraguan relations nearly five decades later.
Written by: Miss Rosen
A visual trip through 100 years of New York’s LGBTQ+ spaces
Queer Happened Here — A new book from historian and writer Marc Zinaman maps scores of Manhattan’s queer venues and informal meeting places, documenting the city’s long LGBTQ+ history in the process.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Nostalgic photos of everyday life in ’70s San Francisco
A Fearless Eye — Having moved to the Bay Area in 1969, Barbara Ramos spent days wandering its streets, photographing its landscape and characters. In the process she captured a city in flux, as its burgeoning countercultural youth movement crossed with longtime residents.
Written by: Miss Rosen