Astral Converted (1991), Trisha Brown’s first full evening-length piece, received its world premiere at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., May 14-18, 1991. Commissioned by the National Gallery, the dance was featured in conjunction with the museum’s Rauschenberg Overseas Culture Interchange (ROCI) exhibition, and concluded the Trisha Brown Company’s 20th anniversary celebrations.
A reworking and lengthening of Astral Convertible (1989)—one of Brown’s earlier collaborations with Rauschenberg—Astral Converted (1991) combines Rauschenberg’s dramatic aluminum towers from the earlier piece with a new score by John Cage. Reconceived for evening-length performances, the choreography combines new and original material, with sections reorganized, and movement rewoven. [1]
As in Astral Convertible (1989) Rauschenberg’s gleaming towers integrate a self-contained system of lighting and sound, using motion sensors to detect the presence of dancers and respond to their movement. Cage’s score, an eight-track recording of live musicians, emanates from tapes lodged within the free-standing mobile towers. [2]
For the premiere performance of Astral Converted (1991), the audience was seated on the National Gallery’s gradually rising steps; the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol served as the backdrop, and the evening sky the curtain.
1. Trisha Brown Company, “Astral Converted (50”), Trisha Brown’s First Full Evening Dance, to Receive World Premiere at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC,” Press Release (May 13, 1991).
2. Program notes, “Trisha Brown Dance Company.” Performance. London: Saddler’s Wells, May 31, 2005.