Turbulent Flows
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In the midst of turbulent times marked by global crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian invasion on Ukraine, or the Israeli– Palestinian conflict, there's a pressing need to explore new avenues of expression and understanding. Butoh dance that I use in my choreographic works, emerged as a response to the aftermath of World War II, embodying the turmoil of the human experience. Today, amidst ongoing turbulence, I propose to turn to physics for insight, seeking to understand and respond to the chaos through dance—both pragmatically and poetically.
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Turbulence denotes a disturbing and chaotic state. Despite its negative connotations, turbulence is essential for life on Earth, influencing everything from the way we mix our morning coffee to the design of aircraft wings. As one of the last unsolved problems in classical physics, scientists don't have analytical solutions for how turbulent flows behave. Historically, most findings in this research area come from experimental observations. The overall research interest and expertise of Professor Ramis Örlü, my collaborator, is the unravelling of the complex nature of turbulent flows comprised of vortical structures and the aim to modify these structures by passive and active control strategies for our benefit (be it economic, ecologic, or ergonomic).
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Turbulence is inherently about movement, yet its visualisation has long been a cornerstone of scientific research. Recently, Ramis approached me with a specific interest in collaborating with the dance field. The pilot project emerged from our discussions, aiming to explore turbulent flows from an aesthetic perspective. We'll delve into questions such as the differences in “dance sequences”, tempo, “gestures”, and spatial composition between turbulent and laminar flows (fluid flows in parallel layers, with no disruption between those layer). Additionally, we'll explore how insights from Ramis's research on controlling turbulence can inform our choreography, and vice versa. We will work specifically with vortices, instabilities and turbulence, and the aesthetic and philosophical concepts of chaos, order and disturbance.
Our team also includes Simen, a music composer, and Zofia, who is both a dancer and costume designer. Sound has been utilised in researching turbulence because while laminar flow is silent, turbulent flow generates various types of noise. Additionally, flow can be controlled using acoustic waves. As such, sound is integral component of the movement itself, requiring us to approach our work from parallel perspectives. Similarly, having both a dancer and costume designer is essential, as costumes and the body can be perceived as obstacles to the flow, affecting spatial movement and potentially causing turbulence. Consequently, we are considering sound/music and costume as integral aspects of the body in this research project.
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The project involves brainstorming sessions with the whole team, discussions based on literature about vortices that has been recommended by Ramis, experiments design, conducting these experiments at OsloMet labs as well as Dansenshus, and floor work with a dancer. The project is part of the students assignment required to complete a course in Dynamic Fluid Mechanics ran at OsloMet. It will be developed into a full scale dance production later on (also part of BSc).
Director & choreographer: Karolina Bieszczad-Stie
Dancer: Zofia Jakubiec
Physicist: Prof. Ramis Örlü (OsloMet)
Music: Simen Korsmo Robertsen​​
Supported by: Kulturrådet, Dansens Hus (Prøverom), OsloMet
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