Rewind/Unwind
What people say
Mal Stein (Musician/Composer)
I had the opportunity to see and "participate" in Ori Flomin's timely piece which was a foreshadowing of events soon to be unfolding due to Covid-19. Ori created the atmosphere of Human Isolation being connected by computers. I felt the physical movements were so wonderfully propelled by the use of inanimate techno objects.
In the (Boxed edition) I was taken into a small room filled with laptops, cellphones, CDs and other tech paraphernalia being operated by Dancers who were clearly connected to the tech objects and disconnected to each other and ourselves. We could participate if we wanted or just observe. By the end of the piece I truly felt the lines of reality were blurred.
As for the (extended version), It was a different vibe not being in the mix (as in the room) which made the Human isolation with machines even stronger.
William Kelly (Executive director at The Village Alliance)
The (boxed edition) version impacted me more than the staged version and I think the reason is that it felt more personal, intense, frenetic -- obviously all audience members were part of the piece in that version, so it makes sense. But the fact that we could touch, record, make noise, etc. really added to the experience. When it was staged, I found myself torn between watching the various performers and feeling less connected because of it. I will say that the end of the staged version was excellent as they began to move toward each other and explore movement together.
Victoria Martino (Musician/Curator/Critic)
I really enjoyed the experience of Rewind/Unwind. I felt that it brought to the fore both the pros and the cons of modern technology in a very creative and effective manner.
Technology's potential for creating confusion and chaos, misunderstanding, and stress was powerfully conveyed, and it was masterfully contrasted with the irreplaceable intimacy of personal, face-to-face contact with other people. The clever and witty juxtaposition of new and old, obsolete technology was a palpable reminder of the evanescence of human creations and inventions, when considered in light of the eternal significance of person-to-person interaction and relationships.
I think that the current global crisis is manifestly illustrating all of these issues, making your project even more relevant to the concerns and needs of modern society!
Susan R Koff (Professor)
How prescient you were to create this performance! It was almost a foreboding of the world in which we are now finding ourselves. However, even in this performance, there was human interaction. Now in our "world" there is little to no human interaction.
My biggest sense of loss now is how disconnected I feel from human contact from so many people. The only way to survive this now is to remind ourselves that it is temporary. I would not choose such a screen-bound existence.
Patricia Beaman (writer/professor)
It was fascinating and a little scary to be surrounded by all the technology--especially such old forms such as cassettes, "slim-line" phones with the decaying plastic, tape decks, CD Walkmen, etc.It was an odd feeling of being overwhelmed, but also feeling nostalgic. And the performers were very manic in their manipulation of those objects--it was very chaotic in the beginning, but then somehow it all calmed down, and we had a CONVERSATION FACE TO FACE--something one doesn't do with technology of old. There used to just be the magic of hearing someone's voice from afar, or hearing a voice message...now of course, there is Facetime and Zoom--which is so necessary now. But this conversation was so welcome after the overload. And it was nostalgic...we remembered our home phone numbers, and the memory of a phone ringing, someone answering, and then saying, "It's for YOU." We never hear that anymore. And they were quite small, but remembered those moments. So the generations were joined on that
Jodi Oberfelder (Choreographer)
Entering the immersive room, I felt overwhelmed. The overstimulation was precise and did its trick being annoying. Therefore, when all the beeping and visual stimulation calmed, and a gentle humane conversation about the lost art of letter writing, I was soothed.
Analog keeps us sane. We cannot be plugged in all the time. Brilliant work. I’d love to have the conversational part go on longer.
