MEETING

In this riveting display, Antony Hamilton and Alisdair Macindoe share the stage with 64 robotic percussion instruments. The gadgets chime, tap, click and shuffle while the humans move and speak in response. As they lock and shift, the dancers seem driven, almost desperate: the rhythm controls them. This is a triumph of engineering and a work of precision; the design of the instruments, the rigour of the dances and the music itself show a delicate, almost precarious intricacy.

For all the mechanical sophistication on display, however, there’s something low-tech, even artisanal, about this show. The instruments are programmed down to the last hit, but their sounds are so palpably organic they can almost be felt as well as heard. Joining touch, sound and motion, MEETING calls on our primal impulses even as it dazzles with its sophistication. Striking as an art concept and impressive as a logistical feat, this is, above all, a spectacular act of showmanship.

[A]n extraordinary work… Beyond what’s visible and audible, MEETING poses bigger questions about human agency and free will.

—Toronto Star

Explore similar shows

• Curators’ Choice Explore similar Curators’ Choice shows
• Family Explore similar Family shows
• Talks Explore similar Talks shows