RARA is a real time software simulation that delves into the tumbling narratives of achievement, redemption, progress and the unknowns of improvisation, chance, and limitation. Featuring motion capture animations from McWharter's 2020 RARA performance series for Langer Over Dickie (displayed below), the work now playfully speculates on a reimagined future of sports imagery through digital performance and a keen eye on the rhetoric of motivation.
Kristin McWharter (b. 1990) is a multi- disciplinary artist whose work explores the entangled relationship between competition and intimacy. She often integrates novel technologies and unexpected material forms to conjoin viewers within immersive sculptural installations and viewer- inclusive performances. Inspired by 20th century sports narratives, collective decision making, and technology as a spiritual authority, she blurs the boundaries of social intimacy and competitive culture. evoking viewer’s relationships to affection, antagonism, sincerity and discomfort within their larger social context. Her work has been exhibited widely including at The Hammer Museum, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Bangkok Arts and Cultural Center, Ars Electronica, Museo Altillo Beni, Light City Baltimore and FILE Festival. McWharter is an Assistant Professor in Art & Technology Studies at SAIC.
View the original performance from November 2019: