AVATAR
Video, audio and performance: Freya Björg Olafson
Lighting Design: Hugh Conacher
Duration: 60 minutes

AVATAR explores methods of creating, validating and disseminating one’s identity through the use of technology and the Internet. The work is inspired by the mantra “I post therefore I am”, whereby Internet power users legitimize their existence by documenting their lives and uploading this media to personal webpages and blogs.

AVATAR facilitates an inquiry into what encourages us to share and publicize our lives. Nothing is hidden as the work develops, Freya moves intimately through software, opening and closing files on her personal computer and interacting with the built-in camera. The performance inherently becomes a duet with technology as in AVATAR Freya makes use of live video feeds and projections to magnify, manipulate and effectively broadcast persona and image. Since it’s premiere in 2009 as part of Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers season, AVATAR has toured to North Carolina, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, North Dakota, Iceland as well as Quito, Manta and Guayaquil in Ecuador. Recently AVATAR received the “Buddies in Bad Times Vanguard Award for Risk and Innovation” at the 2010 Summerworks Theatre Festival in Toronto. In 2012-2013, AVATAR looks forward to presentation in 4 cities in Atlantic Canada as well as Calgary, Alberta as part of the High Performance Rodeo.

History and Funders:
The AVATAR series began at Studio 303 (Montreal) during a workshop lead by 2boys.tv (video/performance duo, Montreal) in May 2008. Since then the series benefited from significant time at PAF~Performing Arts Forum (St.Erme-Outre-et-Ramecourt, France), SIM – The Association of Icelandic Visual Artists (Reykjavik, Iceland) and at The Barn with Tedd Robinson of 10 Gates
Dancing Inc (Ontario).

The work was developed with funding from the Winnipeg Arts Council, Manitoba Arts Council, The Canada Council for the Arts and Video Pool Media Arts Center.

Brief Biography:
Freya Björg Olafson is an interdisciplinary artist who works with video, audio, painting and performance. Her creations have been presented and exhibited nationally as well as internationally at festivals and galleries such as the South Eastern Center for Contemporary Art (North-Carolina), the Plug In Institute for Contemporary Art (Winnipeg), InterAccess Electronic Media Arts Center (Toronto), Dance: made in canada biennial (Toronto), Winnipeg Art Gallery, Núna (now) Festival (Winnipeg, Toronto, Iceland), OchoYmedio / Alas de la Danza (Quito,
Guayaquil, Manta / Ecuador), O.K. Centrum (Linz, Austria), Kling&Bang Galleri (Reykjavik,Iceland), MONA- Museum of New Art ( Detroit) and Tangente Laboratoires Des Movements Contemporains (Montreal).