San Francisco has its roots in the gold rush: in the mid-19th century, its population grew from a few hundred to tens of thousands, attracting immigrants worldwide. Kinetech Arts‘s multi-media project entitled Aurum portrays a modern-day “gold rush” in San Francisco, with the world’s tech capital viewed through the lens of the events of 1849. Humanity is in a disruptive transition era analogous to that time of proliferation, as developments in AI are growing exponentially. By reflecting on the gold rush, when greed fueled ecological and human tolls, especially on the indigenous population and exploited workers, this project reflects on our place within a delicate ecosystem. This ecosystem now includes the intimate relationships between humans and the digital world.
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Daiane Lopes da Silva is a dancer, choreographer, educator, and artistic director of Kinetech Arts, where she explores the intersection of dance, science, and technology. Lopes da Silva often incorporates biometric devices and nondeterministic technologies in her work, reflecting upon societal issues in relation to the human body. Since 2013, she has created over ten full-length performances, which have been performed in South America, Europe, and the U.S. She has performed with esteemed companies and choreographers in the Bay Area and Portugal and has been commissioned by various companies and Universities in the U.S.A. Lopes da Silva is a faculty member of Alonzo King LINES Ballet Dance Center and Western Ballet, teaching contemporary dance, improvisation, composition, and ballet. She was a guest lecturer at S.S.U. (Dance and Technology), UC Davis (SHAPE) and U.S.F. (LASER) and has choreographed for UC Berkeley Dance Project. Her residencies include Headlands Center for the Arts, CounterPulse, Djerassi Resident Artists Program, O.D.C. Theater, SAFEhouse arts, Temescal Art Center, Estalagem da Ponta do Sol/Madeira, and participation at Dancing Lab at NCCAkron. She studied at The Municipal Ballet of São Paulo, Brazil, and at P.A.R.T.S. (Performing Arts Research and Training Studios), directed by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker in Brussels. She graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from S.F.S.U.
Weidong Yang is the co-founder and director of Kinetech Arts. He also founded Kineviz, creating visual analytics solutions for understanding complex data creatively. He received his Ph.D. in Physics and a Masters’s in Computer Science. He has collaborated with and created many performances and installations. He has performed with various dance companies in San Francisco as a dancer. His residencies include Djerassi Resident Artists Program, KUNST-STOFF, CounterPulse, and ODC Theater. He was granted 11 US patents.
Erin Coyne is a San Francisco-based dancer, choreographer, and educator. Originally from the Chicago area, Erin graduated from the University of Minnesota with her Master’s in Education and a dual degree in Dance and Education. Since then, Erin has had the pleasure of performing with FACT/SF and Roseann Baker while presenting her work at various venues throughout Minneapolis, Chicago, and the Bay Area. Her dance film, shift, was an award-winning Dance Film in the 2021 San Francisco Indie Short Film Festival. Most recently, Erin co-produced and directed the dance premiere, A Flight of Movement & Drinks, at Uzay Gallery in February 2023 with a local music producer.