Zugzwang

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John Lennon Theatre, Liverpool John Moores University

 

Commissioning Bodies: openculture.org, Arts Council, Liverpool Council, Liverpool John Moores University

 

Number of Audience Members: 1,500

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This experiment / performance took place at the John Lennon Theatre and also involved evolving projections, shapes, light, and sound, generated through interactions between participants and their environment. A German word, ‘zugzwang’ loosely translates as ‘the compulsion to move’. It’s often used in chess when a player is forced to move when they would otherwise prefer to pass and are put at a disadvantage because of the decision. This idea of mutual influence grounded my attempt to introduce more points of contact between a greater number of participants, therein enhancing the overall interactivity of the system.

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