SHE HAS RISEN (Double Walker Performance Installation)

"Deep Fake 3: Double Walker" is the third work investigating into the theme of Deep-Fake, spanning technology, performance, and reality, seeking to question and challenge the concept of authenticity in live performance with the theme of döppelgangers and the mixture of truths and falsehoods.

"SHE HAS RISEN" is an exploration of the complex inner world of a teenage girl wrestling with self-destruction, girlhood, and rebirth. This work delves into the multiple versions of Cléo and the lives she could have lived—or may have lived—in alternate realities within her mind. It is a reflection on the transitional moment after high school, when one faces the inevitable decision of what comes next in life.

We all exist in the minds of others, immortalized in their memories, often frozen like taxidermy. The choices we make can create different versions of ourselves, some resembling the people we once were, others becoming completely new identities. These alternate versions may be shadows of who we were, or entirely different beings.

To move forward, one must reconcile with the various selves we've been, releasing the versions of ourselves that no longer fit. At the end of life, we carry all these versions to the grave, and everyone has the potential to shapeshift and transform.This piece captures Cléo’s journey of growing up, grappling with the weight of her childhood self, and exploring her sexuality. Through props, costumes, and “what-ifs” like becoming a marine biologist, spiritual business owner, mother, or wife, Cléo envisions alternate realities where different versions of her exist. These characters live in the ethers of the universe, and the costumes serve as physical representations of these "doppelgangers" or immortalized fragments of specific memories or experiences.

The installation includes interactive elements like the "DOWN THE DRAIN" station, where audience members can write down what metaphorically “went down the drain” in their lives, as well as their hopes and wishes for the future, which they place in the "LIFE IS A GROCERY STORE" cart. This analogy, inspired by Cléo’s view of life as a grocery store, invites participants to reflect on what they’ve lost and what they desire moving forward.

A music playlist and choreographed dance sequences further immerse viewers in Cléo’s high school experience, drawing from the music she listened to and danced to in her teenage years. The use of scent (Saje Liquid Sunshine) contributes atmospherically evoking the intimate, sensory world of a teenage girl. Scent is a particularly significant element for Cléo, who has worked as an aromatherapy specialist since high school.

The "EGO DEATH" dance section serves as a raw exploration of the destructive impulses Cléo faced during her teenage years. It highlights the duality of girlhood—the coexistence of innocence and destruction, femininity and the darker forces at play in the mind of a young woman. This section aligns with the broader concept of metaphorically killing off past versions of oneself to make space for new growth and transformation.


Assistant Professor - Theatre & Performance: Erika Latta

Teacher Assistant: Jaeden Walton (MFA Candidate)

Logistics: Jae Gonzales

Poster and Program Design: Brady Cranfield

Manager, Production & Events: Emily Neumann

Technical Director: Ben Rogalsky

Uroš Šanjević