The Judson Church Mic

DD Dorvillier’s intriguing new work shifts the functions of the senses. Sound, via a live microphone, describes her movements from inside her jeans pocket, where it rustles and crackles with each move. The mic – attached to her jeans by a rock climber’s karabiner hook – bumps along her knees and legs, narrating the minor struggle as she wrestles to take off her pants. In turn, visuals – provided by the snaking black microphone cables – map diagrams of the coursing flow of the sound. Dorvillier performed the premiere at Context Studios in Williamsburg, rented by Danspace.

The piece begins meditatively, with Dorvillier and Elizabeth Ward dressed in casual street clothes, lying on their sides, appearing to sleep. Nothing changes for many minutes until Ward gets up and walks to the small sound control panel just in front of the audience and changes the sound (by Seth Cluett) which ranges from one droning note to a ballad. As time passes, they change into playful dresses, and Ward shapes her foot into the first beautifully pointed toe of the evening. Their transitions from backstage tech workers to performers underscores the importance of each collaborator – visible or not.
Ward lies down ...