Now that we know

Now That We Know_Artwork by Victoria Ford_Image by Wellcome Library London

Now That We Know (2016)

What will change, if and when science discovers how our bodies give rise to our minds? Choreographer and performer Matthias Sperling furthers his investigation into the relationship between mind and body in a performance lecture exploring a hypothetical future in which that connection is clarified.

How will dance and choreography be expanded by this new understanding of the body? And how will our society be altered? This work of science fiction builds on recent findings, taking a choreographic perspective to freely imagine plausible, absurd, thrilling or worrying scenarios.

Created and performed by Matthias Sperling

Lighting and space design by Jackie Shemesh

Sound design by Joel Cahen

Additional sound engineering by Mike Harwood

Science advisors: Guido Orgs and Nikolas Rose

Artistic mentor: Siobhan Davies

Producer: Iris Chan

Premiere: 29 September 2016, Sadler’s Wells Lilian Baylis Studio (London).

Further performances: 8 October 2016, Wellcome Collection (London); 8 March 2017, Nottingham Contemporary (Nottingham), part of Dance4’s Nottdance Festival; 4 February 2018, Weld (Stockholm, Sweden), part of Talking & Props 2018; 22 June 2018, TrinityLaban (London), part of Fest en Fest; 3 July 2018, University of Kent (Canterbury), (excerpt) part of Cognitive Futures in the Arts and Humanities; 25 October 2018, De Montfort University (Leicester); 1 & 2 November 2018, Sadler’s Wells Lilian Baylis Studio (London).

Now That We Know is supported by Arts Council England, Sadler’s Wells, Dance4 and Siobhan Davies Dance.