A FIGURE OF SPEECH
a figure of speech
2025
““Alisdair Macindoe’s A Figure of Speech uses projected text to great effect, not simply breaking the fourth wall but taking us inside the blocking and thematic arc of the choreography.” ”
A Figure of Speech
A Figure of Speech continues Alisdair’s exploration of computer-generated dance scores, re-framing his work at the intersection of AI and dance through a compelling solo format. In each performance, Alisdair is guided by the voice of an AI designed to create engaging and thought-provoking dance instructions. This piece serves as both a metaphor and a lived experience, inviting audiences to ponder the evolving relationship between human expression and artificial intelligence. Through this innovative lens, A Figure of Speech illuminates the complexities of creativity in a technology-driven world.
Choreographer, Performer, Sound Designer, Coder: Alisdair Macindoe
Lighting Designer: Keith Tucker
Curator, Executive Producer: Brendan O’Connell
Images: Jung Lee
VIDEO: Angus kemp
““Macindoe, as choreographer, performer, sound designer, coder, and one-man band, stretches out his palms as if upon them tiny sensors rest. He makes movements suggestive of a bodily vessel having consumed a museum didactic. He constantly jolts his torso at a 90-degree angle. He demonstrates what human thought might look like. Moving quickly from one sensation to the next, these movements are, of course, instructions.””
““A world of micro movements that make whole universes appear and disappear in the blink of an eye.”
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두물머리 Dumulmeori (Where Two Rivers Meet)
A figure of speech is one of four solo dance works that make두물머리 Dumulmeori (Where Two Rivers Meet). 두물머리 Dumulmeori (where two rivers meet) is an electrifying bill of contemporary dance from Australia and Korea that showcases the compelling voices of four distinctive choreographer-performers: Alisdair Macindoe and Michelle Heaven (Melbourne); Haneul Jung (Seoul); and Chosul Kim (Daegu).
Fresh from a tour to three Korean cities, this program of evocative solo works pulses with vibrancy, precision, and experimentation. Be transported by movement that transcends borders – where artistry speaks across cultures, uniting us through shared experience and dissolving boundaries.
Conceived and curated by Brendan O’Connell, this is the first iteration of a multi-year intercultural exchange with Australian and Korean artists and institutions, fostering deeper artistic dialogue between the two nations’ dance communities.
