Exploring Gender, Cyberspace, and Liberation: The Performative Vision of Ambra Castagnetti and Roxy Ceron

The collaborative performance project titled “Spiral Space” by Ambra Castagnetti and Roxy Ceron is an innovative exploration of how gender operates as a tool of organisation and control over bodies. By integrating cyberspace and hyperspace into their practice, the duo envisions a “euphoric” environment where societal inequalities, gender-based violence, and the exclusion of minorities are overcome. Their work challenges a world dominated by oil dependency, proposing an alternative dimension where identity and liberation intersect.

This performance blends science fiction with contemporary performance art, envisioning a journey through spatial dimensions enabled by digital technologies and the internet. The narrative is deeply rooted in cyber feminism and body emancipation, drawing inspiration from the radical 1990s collective VNS Matrix. Through harmonised texts and visual projections, Castagnetti and Ceron explore new avenues for identity transformation and societal critique.

At its core, the performance unfolds in two pivotal phases. First, a live-streamed projection is cast onto a deforming mirror surface, presenting a “liquid” vision of reality. This is followed by a dynamic interplay of voice and movement, which provocatively interacts with the projected images. The work also incorporates the use of “Nagual,” a sculptural portal with a reflective surface that creates analogue distortions, becoming an integral element of the performance.

Their research seamlessly integrates audio-visual language, new media, and sculptural studies. Castagnetti’s practice focuses on the relationship between the environment and the body, questioning societal structures through post-gender and alien imaginaries. Meanwhile, Ceron’s expertise in cinema’s special effects and her fascination with light and industrial materials contribute to the performance’s visceral aesthetic. Together, they fuse punk aesthetics, countercultural movements, contemporary theatre, and experimental music into a cohesive, fluid language.

Rooted in Mesoamerican and Toltec spiritual traditions, the concept of the Nagual further deepens the performance’s layers. This transformative being, capable of bridging the physical and metaphysical realms, symbolises personal and spiritual liberation, resonating with the project’s overarching themes.

Through this multidisciplinary endeavour, Castagnetti and Ceron invite audiences to reimagine societal constructs and explore transformative possibilities in the realms of identity, technology, and performance.

Article by @danieleverse

Art direction @roxyceron___ @ambracastagnetti_kos

Performer @ambracastagnettikos

Visual effects /light @roxyceron____

Music @jack_bags_707 @ambracastagnettikos

Costume @tweedledumb

Location @centrale_fies_official

Photography @francescofrizzera

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