Stories of Migration

Stories of Migration is a multimedia art performance with electronic music, harp, dance  and visual art. It shows multiple stories of migration from people who were interviewed and  shared their experiences, memories and feelings of (un)belonging. 

This 30-minute production is the result of a transdisciplinary collaboration process. It will  feature music composition by Brandon Hale and Henrique Gomes, dance choreography by  Andreza Jorge, set design and lighting by Nia Perez-Vera, harp performance by Aline de Souza. The interview participants will be present through their voices, and some chose to be present by  also performing on the stage. 

We transform the theater in multiple ways: on a level of sound through sound  spatialization, on the level of bodily sensorial experiences with movement and dance, and on the  level of architecture through set design, lighting and drawing projections. 

This artistic creation is informed by Aline de Souza’s studies on migration, art, and  architecture theory. This art will, in turn, influence her theoretical writings. This performance is  about perceptions of migrations and migrants, introducing nuance and complicating meaning by  showing diverse stories of migration. The stories are told not only through a narration of events,  but through spatialized sound, body expression and projection of light and visual art. These  multiple art forms are leveraged by technology. 

Immigration has been a significant theme in the political and social scenes of the United  States and in the world. News media and political debates oftentimes address this theme using  reductionist language, often revealing misconceptions, racism and colonialist views towards  migrants. By showing multiple stories of migration, we question the idea of a “better life,” “a  better place” and the notion that all migrants are looking for the same thing and have the same  reason to immigrate. Migration, movement and displacement are broader than the move from  one country to another. In our work, we will explore feelings of (un)belonging related to  experiences of displacement that may or may not involve moving permanently to another  country. With the aesthetic experience of multimedia art, we aim at going beyond the divides of  science and art, body and mind. This performance explores migration with its nuances, reflecting  universal human dimensions at the same time that it shows human particularities that cannot be  reduced and generalized.