Oz Asia Festival – 2016 – Split Flow & Holistic Strata – Hiroaki Umeda – Dunstan Playhouse – 4K

By Tom Eckert

Hiroaki Umeda’s two performances Split Flow, and Holistic Strata are in essence dance of the modern age.

Split Flow is a dance piece that challenges traditional conceptions of the media. Hiroaki Umeda’s movements relentlessly shift between the organically graceful and violently mechanical, but nothing that could be described as either traditional nor entirely human.

Holistic Strata, on the other hand whilst still centered on dance is more of a visual spectacle, clearly more concerned with the visual impression it creates than focussing on the movement itself.

Manipulating space, framing and light in a way that compliments, highlights and conflicts with his movements, Hiroaki Umeda creates a sensory assaults on the audience that manipulates perception. This has the novel effect of simultaneously engaging the viewer whilst also enforcing a certain degree of emotional detachment.

Hiroaki Umeda’s musical accompaniment can really only be described as digital noise and only adds to the audiences’ distance.

With a steadfast resistance to creating something emotive or narrative Hiroaki Umeda’s Split Flow, and Holistic Strata make an audience reconsider the role of dance as an expressive form as he blurs the line betwen performing arts and audiovisual.

Kryztoff Rating: 4K