Zoetrope Project — Ben Coleman

Zoetrope is a vibrant weaving of colorful noise, a 4-dimensional game with very few rules, played with sound-waves, silence and space. Zoetrope immersed participants in a sensory world that pirouetted around them, creating a playground for happy eyes and ears. Music, movement, and physics collide in a playful attempt to dazzle the senses, and have a lot of fun.

Performance and sound work, commissioned by the High Museum of Art in 2015 as a reaction to the 'Los Trompos' installation by Esrawe and Cadena. A game for performers, musicians and audience participants in an immersive sound environment.

Performers pushing spinning tops with people sitting on them.

A performer pushes a spinning top with 2 adults and a young boy sitting on it.

A performer bends over to draw with chalk on the concrete.

Many performers are walking in circles in 2 revolving glass doors reading text. Another performer is holding up a microphone from outside to catch their voices as they pass.

A performer on a bicycle moving past the camera.

A performer is blindfolded, reaching out in front of them. THey are wearing a mask of a bird beak attached to the frame of some eyeglasses.

A performer is on the ground on their knees, face down in a gesture of despair. Three musicians stand around them playing saxophones. A boy smiles and laughs nearby.

3 musicians with saxophones are looking at a work of art on an easel. A group of children and adults stand by watching them react to the art.

From the back of an easel and over the shoulder of the artist, we see 3 musicians facing the artwork, playing saxophones.

3 musicians with saxophones playing while a group of children watch intently.

A saxophone player sits inside a spinning top. We can see a performer spinning the top from the outside.

Photo credit: Abel Klainbaum.