being moved

Concept & Direction: Maia Chao
Choreography & Assistant Direction: Lena Engelstein
Performed by & Devised with: James Barrett, Kristine Bendul, Deja Rion, David Guzman, Anna Kohler, Ellen Maddow, Cory Seals, Nancy Slusser, Jo Warren, Paul Zimet
Appearances by: Hannah Mitchell and Parker Sera
Sound Design and Composition: Ryan Gamblin
Synth Music & Sound Collage: Nina Ryser
Lyrics & Vocal Composition: Maia Chao
Costume Design: Lily O’Neill
Producer & Stage Manager: Aoife Delaney
Creative Consulting Producer: Emma Orme

“Presented as part of the 2026 Whitney Biennial, this performance explores the theatricality and choreography of a museum visit in the galleries of the Whitney Museum's permanent collection exhibition, “Untitled” (America). Centering the visitor’s experience, BEING MOVED locates its subject not in the artworks themselves, but in the social rules, scripts, and patterns that condition our encounters with art. Tracing the gap between the fantasy of a profound encounter and the ambivalent realities of contemporary spectatorship, the work plays with the ordinary and minor dramas of a museum visit.”

The music and sound was a triumvirate collaboration. Nina Ryser contributed synth stems and sound collages – including the remixing idea that would become “Like a Mirage”, Maia wrote song lyrics and melodies, and I worked to flesh out arrangements, using Nina and Maia’s work as building blocks, paints on a palette used to create a cohesive sound world and musical aesthetic. More in-depth explanations can be found in the captions of each audio sample