The technology of the real

Wayne McGregor has said that his choreography for Random Dance “places concepts of the body, time and space into fresh dimensions” (McGregor 2000). These three concepts, in themselves and in their relation to one another, frame our human experience of the world, constructing and defining our understanding of what constitutes reality. The notion of a theatrical or performative reality which differs from that of our everyday reality is nothing new. Indeed, as Richard Schechner ¹ and others have shown, audience acceptance of the ‘symbolic’ dimensions of theatrical time, space and body is central to the discourse of performance. We understand that, within theatre, time-space may be compressed, expanded or altered to enable entry into incorporeal dimensions such as the emotional, the psychological or the fantastic. Traditionally however, the reference point which enables us to recognise ‘where we are’ has usually remained human experience, by which I mean that which is rooted in body or mind. Postmodern performance takes us one step further, referring us not to an ‘original’ experience but to a simulacrum, an already-mediated version of reality. Wayne McGregor’s particular interest lies in the technological universe and the questions he poses concern the dimensions of that universe in their relation to the human ‘real’. I examine here how his choreographic explorations of technology attempt to provoke new perceptual pathways, challenging us to reconfigure our comprehension of the body, time and space by extending the location of these concepts into ‘extra-human’ areas. I focus on Random’s production, Nemesis, which is their first in their new position as company in residence at London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre and also celebrates a decade of work. Rather than using this event in a retrospective fashion as an opportunity to consolidate and define, McGregor conceives of Nemesis as a ‘provocation’ and of the residency overall as an opportunity to “raise new choreographic questions for ourselves and our audience” (Random 2002 video).