Wilfried Lentz Rotterdam

The Digital Face isolates and examines the studied body language of politicians. Laser works with two dancers to replicate the gestural movement from two State of the Union addresses: President Barack Obama’s 2012 speech and President George H. W. Bush’s 1990 speech which Laser claims is the first televised State of the Union address featuring gesticulating hands. The two performers juxtapose distinct historical moments to highlight the evolution of the politician’s performance. Exposed is a process that maximizes the efficiency of the American president’s empathic display. After the performance a two-channel video of the performance was projected on opposite walls. The title, The Digital Face, references the ideas of François Delsarte who developed oratorical theories and exercises in the early 19th century. In Delsarte’s vocabulary “digital” refers to fingers.
Credits:
Featuring dancers Alan Good and Cori Kresge.