World-renowned choreographer, Wayne McGregor, has been working with Wellcome Genome Campus Public Engagement and scientists from the campus to prepare Autobiography, which premiered at Sadler’s Wells in London on 4th October.
As McGregor explains he has turned “his attention to the body as archive, as he embarks on a cycle of choreographic portraits illuminated by the sequencing of his own genome”. McGregor and his company of dancers visited the Wellcome Genome Campus in the summer to immerse themselves in the world of genomics and biodata.
Autobiography selects from 23 choreographic moments that form a “life library”, reflecting the 23 pairs of chromosomes within a human genome. Every performance of Autobiography is unique; the algorithm selecting and dictating the order of the volumes from the life library. There are 24,000 permutations.
This is the first in an unfolding series of studies planned by McGregor as he explores the potential and the possibility of understanding what can come from sequencing a genome. We look forward to being part of that journey with him.
Find out more