An intermedia performance controlled through dance examining sympoiesis

by Brad Gallagher

“Parrotfish” is the second piece in a trilogy of works that investigate different species whose reproductive and rearing strategies employ sympoiesis, or "making-with." The first piece, “cowbird” was produced in September 2021. The majority (80%-90%) of parrotfish are born female. These female siblings form feeding schools, and as they mature, one of the females spontaneously sex-reverses into a male, transforming from a dull brown color into vibrant iridescent hues. He begins mating with his former school, now referred to as a “harem” by biologists.

 

Brad Gallagher


Brad Gallagher is a third-year P.hD candidate in the Department of Intermedia Art, Writing, and Performance at the University of Colorado Boulder. His practice-based research interrogates philosophical posthumanism through creative writing and coding. These writing practices enable traffic between creative writing, electronic literature, interactive installations, sound, and video-based work. Within these domains, he is interested in how generative systems and artificial intelligence distribute creative agency between human and non-human actors.

Anna Pillot


Anna Pillot is a trapeze artist, movement artist, teacher, and adventurer. She is currently pursuing an MFA Dance at CU Boulder. 

Anna holds a BA in Dance Performance and Choreography and Spanish from Hope College. She has performed both nationally and internationally with dANCEpROjECt, Richard Rivera-Physual, Valerie Green Dance Entropy, People Who Move, and Grosso Modo (Quetetaro, Mexico). Her choreography has been featured at various venues throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada. In the air, Anna specializes in swinging, fixed, and dance trapeze. She has worked for Cirque du Soleil, Marquise Productions, Seano's Circus Theatricks, and has performed as an individual artist in various venues and cabarets. In addition to performing, Anna was a guest artist at Union College from 2015-2020 where she coached dance students studying the aerial arts. Prior to commencing the MFA program, Anna was based in Albany, NY, where she founded People Who Move and Emerging Choreographers Project, and was a company member with Maude Baum and Co. Dance Theater. 

A life long learner, Anna enjoys exploring new ways to move her body, and has most recently discovered a love of trail running through the mountains of Colorado. 

Caroline Butcher


Caroline is a performing artist, teacher, and choreographer. After graduating in 2012 with a BA in Dance from Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania, Caroline worked in Philadelphia for eight years performing as a company member with SHARP Dance Company and Dance Fusion, both with whom she toured nationally and internationally. As a teaching artist Caroline worked with Dancing Classrooms Philadelphia teaching ballroom dance to fifth grade students in diverse classrooms throughout the city. She also worked as an adjunct professor and office administrator at Eastern, teaching both theory and technique, producing departmental concerts, advising undergraduate students, and setting original choreography on dance majors. With a love for musical theatre, Caroline has also choreographed eighteen musicals for students ages five to twenty two. She has travelled to Bolivia, Uruguay, and Cuba leading recreational dance workshops for people of all ages. As an MFA candidate at The University of Colorado Boulder, Caroline is interested in applying a critical lens to dance history while continuing to hone her teaching and movement skills and developing her artistic voice.   

Katie Williams


As a masterʼs student in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology department with a background in social science, Katie is interested in how animals behaviorally respond to human-induced global change as well as the factors that influence our perceptions of and relationships with animals. Her current research explores behavioral interactions and escape responses of Sceloporus lizards based on their proximity to humans. As urbanization and habitat fragmentation increase globally, studies that examine animal behavioral changes as they encounter humans are becoming increasingly timely and important. This is especially true when the conservation of biodiversity is the overall goal. Her current research study, which is primarily field-based, requires detailed observations of lizard morphology and movement, quantitative analyses of data recorded, and interpretations of findings as it relates to animal behavior and conservation.