Virtual Archive of performed and animated dreams 

Regiseseur Mey Seifan’s ‘MetaDreams’ investigates both the technical limitations of presenting dance online, as well as the ontological and philosophical limitations of what we could call dance, performance, or ‘live shows’ in today’s world. The subject matter is a huge archive of Seifan consisting of dreams from people who were inflicted by the wave of revolutions that swept the Arab world since 2011, and the Syrian war.
Mert Akbal plays both as an expert on dreams and art, as well as the visual art director reproducing dream scenes with digital and performative tools. Many dreams are worked into digital animations by using single camera motion capture technology and then using performers movements to drive digital 3D figures as well as images generated by artificial intelligence. Other dreams are visualized with manipulations on video footage.

Yellow Dress, Metadreams 2022, Performers: Amr Karkout, Teresa Maria Simeoni, Camera: Mouna Assali Regie: Mey Seifan Visual Art & Animation: Mert Akbal

Yellow Dress, Metadreams 2022, Regie: Mey Seifan Visual Art & Animation: Mert Akbal more credits on youtube link

Garlic Heart Dream, Metadreams 2022, Performer: Sonia Levin Camera: Mouna Assali Regie: Mey Seifan Visual Art & Animation: Mert Akbal
Pool of Black Fishes, Metadreams 2022 Regie: Mey Seifan Visual Art & Animation: Mert Akbal
Walking on Glass Shards, Metadreams 2022 Performer: Sonia Levin Camera: Mouna Assali Regie: Mey Seifan Visual Art & Animation: Mert Akbal

MetaDreams
By
Mey Seifan / TANWEEN COMPANY

In collaboration with
Digital art co-director: Adham Hafez / WIZARA

&

Dramaturgy: Ziad Adwan
creative technologist and world designer: Harshini J. Karunaratne
cognitive and visual artist/ Animation: Mert Akbal
generative arts: Ahmed El Shaer
soundscore and music: Basel Naouri
website and software developer: Naushikha Jayawickrama
graphic design, visual identity, drawings: Omar Houssien
camera: Mouna Assali, Harshini J. Karunaratne, camera Mouna Assali & Harshini J. Karunaratne
Video editing: Layal Seifan
performers: Sonia Levin, Amr Karkout, Mona Gamil, Lamia Gouda, Teresa Maria Simeoni, Beatrix Kroschewski
Assistance: Layal Seifan
Production Management: Marwa Seoudi & Adham Hafez /WIZARA
Concept and choreography: Mey Seifan

© Production of Tanween Company

MetaDreams receives the support of the German Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media through the program NEUSTART KULTUR, within the context of tanz:digital Program, under the umbrella of Dachverband Tanz Deutschland.
Supported by:
Deutsches Zentrum des Internationalen Theaterinstituts (ITI)
Mediathek für Tanz und Theater
Medienwerkstatt im Kulturwerk des bbk berlin
WIZARA