Digital Dervish + Flamenco Sonic: Summer Garden

The sema of the Dervish blurs the lines between dance and meditation. This ritual turning practice of the Mevlevi Sufi Order dates back to the 13^th century to Muhammed Celaleddin better known as Mevlana. Digital Dervish is a story about a Dervish who is in a dream and wakes up to birds and the sounds of nature- he begins to meditate and perform his Sema. He becomes enveloped in a storm of chaos as he whirls wildly and then collapses where he becomes dormant again until he eventually rises to embrace the mayhem. This is a story about landscape, earth, love and life that encompasses music, imagery and physical movement. The movements and gestures which are specific to this dance tradition are being highlighted and augmented with an original wearable device called the soundrop.

The soundrop is a small device that is attached to the body via a strap on the wrist or ankle. It is designed to track certain movements from the performer to which sounds and LED lights are mapped. The dancer uses the device as an extension of the body – a musical instrument that can provide layers to the separate pre-recorded music composition.

Music Composer, Wearable Tech Designer and Choreographer: Hedy Hurban
Dervish Performer: Mayez Rahman
Filmmaker and Production Designer: Kaz Rahman
Visual Effects Editor: Barış Çelik