Today marks the release of Body Hack: a 20-min documentary about #MTFLabs: Body+Performance by BAFTA-winning filmmaker Sheila Hayman, produced by MIT Media Lab.
Sheila created the film to showcase the cutting-edge innovation that explores the imaginary boundaries between humans and technology during our 5-day laboratory at #MTFBerlin earlier this year.
The film centres on bionic artist Viktoria Modesta whose (literally) ground-breaking work bridging the worlds of fashion, technology, musical performance and prosthetics has led to a position of Director’s Fellow at MIT.
At the #MTFLabs, Viktoria was the focus of experiments and collaborations between a range of artists and technologists working with body modifications, lighting, generative projection mapping, neurofeedback and other technologies that she could use to control and enhance a musical performance.
The film highlights Music Tech Fest’s focus on celebrating powerful women in creative technologies and challenging notions of disability in the performing arts.
“Being at Music Tech Fest was a rewarding and eye-opening experience, in which I got to appreciate first-hand the collaborative and innovative nature of the festival and its participants. Sheila’s film is a great representation of what was accomplished in a few days of immersion, and I hope the collaborations that began in Berlin will continue to develop in time.”
- Claudia Robaina, Programme Coordinator, MIT Media Lab Director’s Fellows
“Working with MIT was a great fit. We have the same attitude to openness and exchange, we harvest collisions, we exploit tensions, we nurture hard questions until they yield entirely new results. We both love gathering incredible minds and mixing their DNA in a space of common understanding to redesign possibilities. It was a partnership where no explanations were necessary.”
- Michela Magas, Founder of Music Tech Fest.
Thanks to MIT Media Lab and MIT Director’s Fellow Sheila Hayman for their creative input and generous support for our work at Music Tech Fest and the #MTFLabs.