Sapient 2.021 is an experimental short film by Amenda Tate exploring what it means to be human in a tech-saturated world. This work is part collaborative documentary and part screen dance. It draws inspiration from science fiction combining Tate’s motion-controlled painting robot (Manibus) with dance and visual art to examine ideas surrounding labor, control, empathy, and human rights in the wake of 2020. The work commemorates the 100th anniversary of the word “robot” introduced to the English language through the play R.U.R (Rossum’s Universal Robots) by Karel Capek.

This project is supported by the Iowa Arts Council a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Choreography & Dance starring: Larry Yazzie, Lovar Davis Kidd, Michelle Marie

EEG Performance: Jason Snell

Spoken word & music: Akwi Nji, Amenda Tate, Michelle Marie, Jason Snell, and Omaha Powwow Project Collection recorded by Carl Fleischhauer

Producer/Director/Editor: Amenda Tate

DP/Editor: Bruce James Bales

B Cam: Spencer Michael Smith

C Cam: John Hennessey Baker

BTS Camera: Nick Ford

BTS Photo: Brittany Brooke Crow

Special thanks to: Janet Albanese, Jamie L Stepp and supporting partner Des Moines Performing Arts