of bees and bird girls and purring tigers, oh my!

She was once at the Telfair Academy, but she recently moved.
I first saw her here last month, when my friends were visiting from that city by the bay.

One moment, please. Just where is "here"?

Oh, pardon me! She and I were at the Jepson Center for the Arts today. It's the second day of the PULSE Art + Technology Festival and I was there to partake of new exhibits, a lecture, and a dance.
I very much enjoy this celebration of science! It always features a new toy - I mean, interactive exhibit! - that grabs my attention and tickles my fancy.
Last year, I could control the weather and jiggle the Jell-O!
Two years before, it was "Swarm", featuring a screen on which images were recreated with fringes of light.
(We all know I like the fringe!)

This year, my favorite is definitely Mizaru.
It features five different backdrops, each with its own musical theme.
The sound portion of the exhibit is activated by touch from the viewer.
Touch.
Mizaru is Japanese for "to not see".
That's certainly appropriate for art that is meant to be touched and heard.
The tactile aspect definitely appeals to me, as it makes use of one of my favorite senses.
The backdrop for my symphony of touch was "chains" (as shown here, during the evening performance with high school dancers).
Rather appropriate, n'est-ce pas?
On my future visits, I'm going to opt for "water" and "universe" - growing and evolving, learning along the way, exploring inner rhythms.

Before the lecture by the designers, together known as Purring Tiger, I had made it a point to check out their particular exhibit. I'm so glad I did! The lecture provided the more in-depth knowledge needed to truly appreciate the work behind the piece.
I was also treated with the company of Brea Cali, a dance choreographer I first met through Savannah Stage Company. She had helped them with "Syncopation", a romance featuring two players, a chair or two, and music. (I had enjoyed it so much I saw it twice!)
She had choreographed the six young dancers from Savannah Arts Academy. Amazingly, I knew one of the young women! Her mom is the singer I so enjoyed at my church's Christmas Eve service and her dad is a colleague at Armstrong. What a delightfully small world!
Or maybe that just speaks to the well-roundedness of the many circles in which I travel?
Sure, let's go with that!

Um... what about the bees? Where doe they come in?

Oh, yes, the bees!!!
A Swiss artist devised this work which blends technology, dance, and environmental awareness.
Specifically, she addresses Colony Collapse Disorder, an idiopathic problem for bees, worldwide.
(That was a film topic at the Ocean Film Festival last weekend, too.)
Costumed dancers meander in patterns mimicking the bees, creating shifting kaleidoscopes of images.
Very nice!
She also uses the same methodology to address issues for butterflies, bats, and hummingbirds, all endangered species needed for the production of food (fruits and vegetables).
I enjoyed the many works presented in the room, but there was one aspect which was a bit aggravating. She had messages written in the videoportals, grouping the dancers to spell out the words.
That is a very slow process.
The viewer is required to stand there and passively wait while each word is formed, hopefully staying focused enough to string the words together into a cohesive statement or question.
I understand what she is trying to communicate, but her technique is faulty.
Rather, I don't have the patience to stare at one screen for several minutes in order to read the display.
I certainly did enjoy the rest of her Beeplanet!

But Mizaru captured my imagination and my heart!