Project Overview
Objects and technologies are not created in isolation; they are products of complex geopolitical, cultural, and social landscapes. Where things go is an immersive performance integrating contemporary and classical dance forms, interactive technology and generative visuals that interrogates these invisible connections, exploring how tools and design embody histories, biases, and values. The project builds upon Paul Dourish's concept of Embodied Interaction — "Users, not designers, create and communicate meaning" — positioning objects as active participants in networks of relationships. The central question becomes: how much agency do we have within the consumption cycle governing our lives?
Expected Impact
Where things go creates rare space for conscious technological adoption rather than reflexive consumption, particularly resonant in Bangalore's context of rapid technological adoption. The work contributes to India's cultural landscape by developing a uniquely Indian discourse around technology that moves beyond Western-centric narratives. The interdisciplinary nature of the project brings different communities together — dancers, technologists, artists, and audiences—to sit with and engage in conversations about these urgent issues. In an era of AI advancement and accelerated consumption cycles, we need space to sit with the tension between rapid consumption forced upon us and the memories and attachments we still form with objects. The impact extends beyond performance through facilitated audience discussions, inspiring audiences to develop more conscious relationships with the material world and question whose values govern our choices.
Applicant Background
Varsha Iyengar is a dancer, multimedia artist, and engineer based between Bangalore and San Francisco. Her work challenges conventional boundaries between movement and technology, investigating how embodied knowledge shapes technological development and human interaction. As a founding member of Driven Arts Collective, she has developed works including CELSO, Khora, and Digital Milk, presented at venues like CounterPulse and ODC. Formally trained in Indian classical and contemporary dance, she was a dancer with Nritarutya, a leading contemporary and folk dance company in Bangalore Her latest research project, Decoding Digital Bodies, examines how human movement influences robotics research and development, focusing on Boston Dynamics Spot robots. Iyengar's integration of technology as a critical medium invites examination of how technologies embody cultural biases and values.