The Waters
are Breaking

scenography/ 2019
The Waters Are Breaking is an immersive experience at the intersection between theater and performance. The play, written and performed by Gabriela Veiga, uses generative projections and visuals to explore themes of pain, beauty, mourning and life after death.
The Waters Are Breaking video introduction, 1 min.
What are the effects of being separated from those we love?

The play is an experimental documentary project showcasing the actress' research on the theme of separation. It is primarily moved by the experience of her grandmother's passing, combined with the study of German philosopher and psychoanalyst Erich Fromm, who addresses the relationship between the qualities of love and the awareness of being separated.
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Gabriela Veiga interacts with projections made using generative technology.
Images by Rodrigo Rosa and Giorgio D'Onofrio.
Alone on the stage, the actress reacts to the projections created by Pavoni almost as if they were other characters themselves.
At times purely abstract and at others creature-like, the algorithm-based projections interact in real time with Veiga, setting the scene and creating different universes. Able to poetically explore experiences such as speeding, floating, falling, and of being grounded, the dialogical dynamic created by this relationship is a central part of the play.
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Gabriela Veiga interacts with projections made using generative
technology. Images by Rodrigo Rosa and Giorgio D'Onofrio.
Developed through a procedural and numerical method that uses the Processing software, the projections relied on particle systems that were programmed to change according to the actress' movements. Pavoni aimed to combine Veiga's exploration of the contrasts between what she considers as two of the most famous phrases in the world: "I love you" and "Made in China", with technology's ability to create a multitude of worlds.

The Waters are Breaking had its premiere at the Mindelact theater festival of São Vicente, Cape Green and a season in São Paulo, Brazil at the Teatro de Contêiner.
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Gabriela Veiga interacts with projections made using generative
technology. Images by Rodrigo Rosa and Giorgio D'Onofrio.
Credits

Direction
Gabriela Veiga

Visual Direction
Edson Pavoni

Assistant Director
Bruna Brignol

Design
Guilherme Bullejos

Dramaturgy and performance
Gabriela Veiga

Costume Designer
Telumi Hellen

Light and technological structure
Thiago Capella

Scenotechnic
Emerson Fernandes

Photography
Rodrigo Rosa & Giorgio D'Onofrio

Video
Dida Andrade & Andradina Azevedo