Schicht (2000)

"Schicht - a fascinating dialog between art and industry."
(Abendzeitung Nürnberg)

"Schicht", an interdisciplinary dance performance created by Fabian Chyle, is an examination of the human body interacting with the industrial production process. Dance, vocals, and sound design express the emotional and physical interaction of man and machine.

Over 5 weeks Fabian Chyle observed and compared the movement patterns of machines and workers in the work place. He conducted interviews and movement workshops with the workers, investigating the differences and similarities between industrial architectural and the human body's anatomical structure. From this process, "Schicht" was created.

Chyle chose improvisation as the format for the piece to create tension between the subjectivity and fluidity of art and the clearly defined, purely functional structure of the industrial process. While art demands the quality of freedom, industry demands the rigidity of a defined process. The excitement is where the two meet.

The project took place at Siemens Nürnberg and was initiated by the Siemens Arts program. It was performed in the work place and featured in the Meistersingerfestival 2000 in Nürnberg.