Output details

Amelia and the Mapmaker

This is the culmination of a series of cross-disciplinary dialogues initiated around 2001 by Ker with mathematician Marcus du Sautoy, sculptor Kate Allen and choreographer Carol Brown on the theme of space. In their 2005 and 2007 pieces, Allen and Ker explored the interplay between actual and virtual spaces through mixed media performance; in 2007-8 the various dialogues merged in a performance-led project facilitated by funding from the Gulbenkian Foundation (£5k) and EPSRC (£30k), culminating in the 40-minute performance piece ‘The 19th Step’. JL Borges’ ‘The Library of Babel’ provided the meeting point for the various disciplines, while the mathematical dimension of the story gave access to cutting edge mathematical research into infinities and higher dimensional shapes. The 2010-2011 project 'Everything and Nothing' (with £100k EPSRC funding) was led by the composer and resulted in the theatre piece 'Amelia and the Mapmaker' authored by her and Allen. Early development with du Sautoy centred on the Poincaré Conjecture (solved in 2010), which du Sautoy linked with the Borges story. Following the early research, Ker and Allen collaborated to realise the current work, which combines the various threads of the Library of Babel, the Poincaré Conjecture and Amelia Earhart’s disappearance, with the underpinning aim to bring about a rich communication of the mathematical ideas to a general audience. The rich experimental format engaged the composer as co-deviser, script writer, director and composer. The virtual character of the Librarian (channelled through a 1930s radio), performed by RA Kelcey Swain, was a particular innovation. Accompanying workshops and YouTube videos by topologist RA Katie Steckles were co-devised by the team to complete the complement of public engagement activities. Performances took place in 2011 (under the project title 'Everything and Nothing') at Green Man Festival, the British and Otley Science Festivals and Reading University.