In Theory of Flight, a scientist's biology lecture on flight goes awry when she reveals her own extreme experiments. Dreams of flight, avian arias, a magical chalkboard, transgenic experiments, animated cellular processes, orchestral bird songs, and molecular music intersect in this emotional and scientific pursuit of human flight.
The creation of Theory of Flight
Theory of Flight was premiered and Filmed at the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center in Troy NY in April 2011. Music, animation, and story created by Anna Lindemann. Performed by soprano Lucy Fitz Gibbon as the bird spirit and Anna Lindemann as the scientist. The premiere performance was directed by Emma Lunbeck with costumes by Kylin Mettler and lighting design by Jay Maury. The premiere was followed by a Flying Feast concocted by Ellie Markovitch and Rose Mitchell—a multi-taste experience inspired by the avian world. Performance development was funded in part by the Jaffe Fund for Experimental Media and Performing Arts and the RPI Arts Department.
Theory of Flight has been featured in the book Survival of the Beautiful: Art, Science, and Evolution by David Rothenberg and has been performed at The Museum of the Earth in Ithaca, NY, the Ho Tung Planetarium and Visualization Lab at Colgate University in Hamilton, NY, and at the Cantor Film Center in New York, NY.
Theory of Flight was premiered in partial completion of Anna Lindemann’s MFA in Integrated Electronic Arts at the Department of the Arts, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Anna's written thesis discusses the integration of biology and art and the creation of Theory of Flight, a performance intended to be an emotionally gripping and intellectually challenging experience emerging from the integration of music, performance, animation, and evolutionary developmental biology.