Schlemmer and beats is an interactive Techno-Art Club at the Stuttgarter Staatsgalerie. After almost 100 years the Triadic Ballet is being performed in a new look and feel. In 1922 the world premiere of Oskar Schlemmer’s „Triadic Ballet“ took place in Stuttgart. Today, 7 of the original 18 costumes are still on display in the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart. The remaining 11 were destroyed in the Second World War.

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Schlemmer divided his Triadic Ballet into 3 acts, three moods, music styles, worlds of colour.  He often experimented with music. He wanted a specially composed, highly modern music, but nobody could provide him with this during his lifetime. Painted sequences of images were to „accompany the music optically as running projections via a device to be specially made for this purpose.” Schlemmer x Beats lets the Triadic Ballet dance to techno music in a virtual club. All costumes, including the destroyed, missing 11, were constructed in 3 D according to the original designs. All 18 Triadic dancers and their costumes are revived to dance with us.

In collaboration with professional dancers, Schlemmer’s original choreographies were expanded and transferred to electronic beats. With the help of a motion capturing suit, the movements are transformed into fluid sequences and these are played out as animations for the bodies of the triadic dancers. From the very beginning of the club experience, visitors get to create their Triadic Dancer at the Triadic Selection Columns. This is done on 3 hexagonal columns, each consisting of 3 segments. In the 3 columns the 3 acts of the original artwork are taken up.

The triadic selection columns show parts of the costumes. The upper selection module shows headgear, the middle part shows costume parts of the body and the lower module lets you select legs, trousers and shoes. We produce 3d models of the abstracted costume parts. We make them in plaster with the help of a 3D printer. Plaster is a fragile and difficult to print material. At the same time it gives a pleasant feel. Therefore we went the Extra Mile and printed with this state of the art material. After the configuration of the costume the visitors and the dancers enter their club: Schlemmer and Beats.

In the course of the evening each dancer receives his personal „10 seconds of fame“.  The dancer grows, his name appears and then he shows special moves. 

The movements of the DJ’s are recorded live during the event and transmitted to a virtual „DJ Schlemmer. On the opposite wall of the DJ Stage, the current distribution of the Triadic Dancers is visualized in the three colors magenta, yellow and black. Each colour stands for a fixed musical mood. The music is visualized. 

With the help of this visualizer, the DJ (Electronic Beats by Waltraud Lichter) plays music that matches the mood. Not only the triadic dancers experience their virtual DJ and their music but also the visitors on site. Everyone dances and celebrates together. An immersive, interactive art experience is created in a club with electronic music. Perhaps Oskar Schlemmer would have liked this club.

Schlemmer x Beats will open only on February the 14, 2020 at 20:30 at the Staatsgalery Stuttgart. It is one night with Oskar Schlemmer.

Students of the University of Media, Stuttgart created the interactive art club experience „Schlemmer x Beats“. For more information visit the website eventmedia-produktion.de

Author: Prof. Ursula Drees