Performed by dancer, poet and visual artist Melinda Smith, and instrument inventor, composer and percussionist Alon Ilsar, Conduit Bodies explores the relationship between technology and the body, disability, assistive tech and the natural world.

In Conduit Bodies Smith straps ‘Airsticks’ to both her body and wheelchair, taking us on a journey which challenges what constitutes dance and who dance is for.

The ‘Airsticks’ are an adaptable and wearable musical instrument which translate movement into sound, text and visuals. Co-designed and created by Dr Alon Ilsar, the ‘Airsticks’ combine the latest in motion tracking and wireless technologies to give immediate control over gestural data with fascinating transparency for audiences.

As Smith pushes beyond the constraints of expectation and towards expressive and communicative mastery, the work blossoms into an ecstatic crescendo of movement, explosive sound and visuals.

Unique, innovative and insightful, Conduit Bodies challenges stereotypes and preconceptions of disability, invites us to consider the limitations of form and presents us with a new frontier of live performance.