Ilya Vidrin: Proxies

Ilya Vidrin will make his Pillow debut with Proxies, a rigorously imagined work at the intersection of dance and technology that explores what happens to human relationships when movements are translated into data.

Developed during Pillow Lab residencies in 2018 and 2023, Proxies draws on research into loneliness, data privacy, and the ethics of care. Vidrin invites the audience to consider what technology can and cannot capture about how we relate to ourselves, one another, and the world around us. Dancers wear custom-designed sensors on their hands and feet—technology that tracks and surfaces the subtle and often invisible give-and-take of physical connection. The data flows in real time to musicians, weaving together movement and sound in a continuous loop of responsiveness. In a world where connection is increasingly mediated by screens and sensors, Proxies puts bodies front and center—exploring what technology reveals and what slips through.

Ilya Vidrin is a choreographer, researcher, and educator working at the intersection of dance, interactive media, and ethics. An Assistant Professor at Northeastern University, Vidrin is the director of the Partnering Lab and an affiliate with research centers focused on robotics and artificial intelligence. Named one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch,” he has created and presented work internationally at leading dance institutions, universities, museums, and research labs.