Cléo

Cléo is a Mixed Reality (MR) dance performance that explores the convergence of physical and virtual spaces. Through the interaction between a live dancer and her digital self, the work navigates the tension between the flesh and the digital persona, re-examining the construction of female identity under the contemporary “algorithmic gaze.”

Inspired by Agnès Varda’s 1962 classic Cléo from 5 to 7, which reveals a protagonist’s awakening to how the gaze of others shapes self-perception, Cléo repositions this inquiry within today’s digital landscape. In this MR environment, the live dancer embodies Cléo, engaging in a dialogue with a “virtual avatar.” This avatar functions as an idealized self—much like a social media persona—that responds to, mimics, or even resists the dancer’s real-time movements. Visually, Cléo departs from photorealism and adopts a hand-drawn aesthetic marked by raw lines and expressive abstraction—evoking the messy urgency of personal journaling. The visual world mirrors the instability of the protagonist’s inner world, colliding real and virtual elements to express the constant negotiation between vulnerability and performance.

In this multi-user experience, the audience acts as both observers and participants. Through mixed reality, motion capture, and spatial audio, viewers transcend passive watching to embody the “gaze” itself. Cléo invites the audience to witness the struggle: when identity is translated into the digital realm, performed, and watched, how do we recognize the authentic self within algorithmic reflections?

As a creator born into the explosion of digital media and social networks, possessing a virtual alter-ego feels instinctive. The core of Cléo lies in the interaction between the live dancer and her idealized projection—that imagined, perfected version of the self. This relationship dramatizes the tension between self-perception and external expectations. By utilizing MR environments and multi-user connectivity, the audience is transformed into part of the work, occupying a space where they are simultaneously “watching” and “being watched.” The piece is an interrogation of how the digital world represents contemporary female imagery and a reflection on the dual existence of physical and digital identities: Is the dancer the reality, or is the virtual persona the truth?