The Micah Grey Experiment was an immersive theatre experience created and performed by the Hammerstep dance collective founded by Jason Oremus and Garrett Coleman. Hammerstep is known for utilizing choreography, technology and non-traditional audience engagement to tell a story and this performance was no different. The performance, part of the exhibition “Only Human” was presented by NEW INC and Nokia Bell Labs, was performed at Mana Contemporary, Jersey City, NJ.

The concept was based on a utopian Sixth Borough in New York City and its cutting-edge research facility, Borough Labs, which was searching for solutions to the worldwide energy and humanitarian crises. Chief Engineer Micah Grey had discovered the presence of an Indigo energy life force, demonstrated through the physical and extrasensory abilities of society’s most creative and innovative individuals. Micah involves audience members in a public event to recruit “Motion Thinkers” to help fuel a revolutionary new Indigo experiment. Developing a story like this and taking audiences along thru it required creative thinking to push limits and the experience to execute the production at all levels while not sacrificing design but keeping the project on budget.

Through the use of cameras that measured the motion, frequencies, and depth which displayed data in real time on the screen, the responsive projection environment was used to build a relationship and create fluid interaction between technology and humans. This allowed the audience to wirelessly control drones and solve interactive motion puzzles through simple gestures and progress through the story.

Our Nimblist team included Spike Brant, Lauren Brunson, Atshusi Hanano and talented collaborators Scott Peterman, Andrew Hildebrand and Branko Balic who worked hard on the technical drawings, lighting design, animation and scenic elements that helped manifest the creative vision of the Hammerstep founders. Our draftsman, Atshusi Hanano, put his skills to work and created the drawings for a pyramid-like structure which consisted of a modular array of geometric 3D shapes that can be arranged in various configurations. This served as one of the key structures of the performance and functions as a monolithic projection-mapped sculpture.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZ3-wB8-id0