~~~~~ “…derelict in uncharted space…”

In development

~~~~~ “…derelict in uncharted space…”

In 1974, an amateur Star Trek fan club in San Francisco launched Project Communicator, a non-profit initiative to bring the wonderment of Star Trek to blind audiences, through descriptive radio plays. For their pilot, they chose the episode ‘Is There In Truth No Beauty’, which guest starred a blind telepath character. Despite being endorsed by the Star Trek cast, and narrated by Trek actor James Doohan, Paramount perceived the project as piracy. The pilot was never released, and Project Communicator was abandoned.

In this world premiere season, a stellar collaborative of dancers, artists, writers, musicians, and designers pays homage to the creative innovation and collective ethos of Project Communicator. We invite you to join us for an ambitious movement performance that experiments with possibilities for inter-sensorial translations, beyond the boundaries of perceptual norms, and the boundaries of space-time.

The live performance season will be adapted into an audio described radio performance season, to be digitally broadcast between 18–21 October via Digital Fringe.

“O brave new world…”

Live Performance Season

Melbourne Fringe Festival
Chunky Move Studios
Wed 11–Sat 14 October 2023
7:30pm Wed–Fri
3:00pm Fri & Sat
Sensory Friendly performance 3:00pm Sat
Book here

Pre-season Tactile Tour

Chunky Move Studios
Sat 2 October 2023, 2pm–3pm
Free, book here

Digital Radio Play Season

Online
Wed 18–Sat 21 October, 2023
Various session times
Free, book here


Co-commissioned by Chunky Move and Melbourne Fringe and supported by Arts Access Victoria as part of the Radical Access program.

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory funding, and by the City of Melbourne through its Arts and Creative Investment Partnerships Program, and received Cash to Create through the Fringe Fund as part of Radical Access and Cash for Equity as part of the Ralph Mclean Microgrants program.

Creative Team

Concept by Fayen d’Evie and Benjamin Hancock.

Created by Fayen d’Evie, Benjamin Hancock, Rebecca Bracewell, Luke D. King, Georgina Kleege, Nelly Kate, Andy Slater, Lloyd Mst, Jon Tjhia, Alex Craig, Aaron McPeake, Anna Seymour, Sheereen Perrin, George Thomas, Lorena Zapiain, and Sheri Wells-Jensen, in association with Antony Hamilton,  Vitae Veritas, Bryan Phillips, Madeleine Flynn and Charles Gushue.

In association with Antony Hamilton, Vitae Veritas, Bryan Phillips, Madeleine Flynn and Charles Gushue.

Warnings

This event contains haze effects and sudden loud noises.

Access

Please click here to view an Access Pack outlining information about elements of the performance which are and are not accessible. Please note, this document is live and will be updated with more detailed information closer to the performance season.

Tactile Tour

Audience members are invited to attend a free Tactile Tour at 2pm, Saturday 7 October in advance of the live performance season led by Fayen d’Evie. Blind audience members and those with low vision, as well as sighted audience members, are welcome to attend. For more info or to register to attend, please click here.

Audio description

A number of audio-description devices will be available for each performance. The audio-description for this performance is a crucial conceptual and aesthetic offering. Priority will be given to audience members who are Blind or have low vision, however sighted audience members are also encouraged to experience this element, and may express their interest when booking tickets.

Open Captioning

Open captioning is also a crucial conceptual and aesthetic offering. The sound design will be described by the collaborating artists, and presented through open captions, on large screens viewable from different locations within the performance space. Live captioning will also be integrated, projected onto smaller screens integrated into the stage design. Auslan is also integrated within the choreography. 

Seating

This event is performed in the round, and audiences are welcome to move around the performance space. Limited seating available for those who prefer not to stand. Some seating areas will be dedicated to wheelchair users. Limited seating with low frequency vibrational haptics will be available, to offer a non-audible experience of the sound design.

A rectangular portal is framed by a radiant purple glow. Inside, an array of collaborative imagery has been collaged, mostly greyscale. A hearing aid is cradled in the palm of a hand, within a beam of light. This personal listening device is overlaid with an image of a radio astronomy telescope, its receiving dish pointed towards the sky. The receiving dish is supported by structural engineering in the form of a geometric scaffold. Above the dish, an antenna is held aloft. Its listening probe overlaps the central electronics of the hearing aid technology: micro and macro listening. An image of a white mobility cane has been overlaid diagonally across the hand. At its tip, its roller ball has been transformed into a glowing orb, emitting sound waves, signalled by concentric circles pulsing outwards. Another hand reaches into the frame, captured mid-expressive gesture. This hand is not greyscale but pale pink porcelain, and is smaller in scale than the hearing aid. On each of the three visible fingers, the nail tips are decorated with a maroon dot. In the top left corner of the image, there is a small window, also rectangular, framing an assemblage of shapes, suggestive of an imaginary glyph or letterform. The smooth, bevelled edges of the glyph lend an embossed 3D effect, so that the abstracted glyph appears to protrude from the image plane. The glyph incorporates rounded shapes, spikes that reach outward, like a crown, and a spiral whorl.