[Custom Object] lipsync//dance

[Custom Object] lip-sync//dance is a performance by Ambrose Trataris aka DestroyHerr that explores the transmission of knowledge and mutability of form between humans and their virtual avatars taking place on stage and simultaneously within virtual reality spaces. Two performers embodying virtual avatars will explore the expansive possibilities of the [trans]gender body through custom made avatars, intuitive movement, choreographed dance, and playful club banter. This work is made through the collaboration of Drag artists, as Drag evokes the Avatar in real life, further integrating the real and the fantastic in a liminal theatrical space.

Using experimental virtual reality hardware to track real time body movements through an online social platform called VRChat, performers play with and test the boundaries of technological bodies and expression in virtual worlds. By intertwining the realms of physical embodiment and virtual avatars, [Custom Object] lip-sync//dance is an exploration of the fluidity of form and the evolving relationship between humans and their digital personas.

The performance took place over 2 weekends (Sep 7-9) DestroyHerr performed with BARRACUDA and the second weekend (Sep 14-16) they performed with Skirt Cocaine.

[Custom Object] lip-sync//dance at CounterPulse with Skirt Cocaine and Ambrose Trataris.

Dance video with full cast of [Custom Object] lip-sync//dance.

Photo documentation by Emily Smeja & Vita Hewitt 2023. Artwork by Ambrose Trataris & Lucy Black.

Participating Artists:

Salimatu Amabebe aka Barracuda (they/he) is a Nigerian-American chef, performer and multimedia artist based in the East Bay Area. Amabebe performs under the stage name, Barracuda – a multi-gender avatar who draws its inspiration from the overwhelm it gets through scrolling on its mobile device. Barracuda views itself as a manifestation of collective digital fantasy aka a “crowd-sourced slut.”

Skirt Cocaine (he/they) is a mixed Filipino drag king and show producer in LA’s queer punk scene. With an aesthetic ranging from Kpop to rococo, he explores the wide range of masculinity and identity outside the bounds of toxic whiteness. He is also a videographer and content creator for a number of drag shows in LA.

Hannah Ayasse aka Hands (she/they) Hannah builds community through collaborative creative process and resolutely believes in the body as a source of knowledge. Hannah is interested in Relationship as a “third thing,” its own mutable and powerful entity, existing in and of itself.

Patrick Santos aka Cash Monet (he/they) is a performer, maker, and dry humor aficionado. Cash Monet’s style is kitschy, glitchy, and a little sticky, inspired by asian culture, video games, and nerd culture.

Killian Thelonious Church aka Urheinous (they/them) is a queer multidisciplinary artist, producer and performer. They have been making work both independently and collaboratively in the Bay Area since 2011 in various mediums such as music, video, and drag. Their work often deals with the reckoning of their own queer identity through the intersections of trauma and mental health, resulting in a horrific and comical mix of abjection and absurdity.

Special thanks to Peter Wu+ (he/him) for being a conceptual advisor and supporter of the work. In 2020, he founded and created EPOCH, an artist-run virtual experiment that functions as an inclusive community building platform inviting established and emerging artists working in both digital and analog mediums to participate.