Constellations Dynamiques

-Kulavadhut Satpurananda ,
From The electronic journals of Johnny Ranger.

SELECTED REVIEWS EXCERPTS:

Les Constellations Dynamiques, the happening-style immersive performance at SAT, with the aid of a number of people including the production crew at MomentFactory, was a high point for me in the technology arts… and not only from 2005… and not only because Johnny is a good friend… rather he expressed the total gesamtkunstwerk in a modus operandi of warmth, intimacy and love, three factors desperately missing in the world today

From the detailed installation art in the Café, including the night’s celebration of the merger of technology and body. It induced in audience and performer—so evident in the standing ovation and the energetic enthusiasm and absolute detail to the event—a very different, and if it can be said, harmonious dream of what the globalized world might look like.

tobias c. van Veen - UADRANT.CROSSINGS
hallucinations & antics :: words in the realm


We are absolutely in the here and now: the event is unique and will never be reproduced, even if it is repeated. The fluidity of sand reminds us of this—it can take any form, yet fixes none. The four artists are in perfect communion; they invite us into a state of osmosis, and we naturally allow ourselves to drift into it. Whatever message they may wish to convey becomes secondary. Something important is taking place, and it is about living the moment rather than trying to understand it.

It is a shared trance in which every person present contributes energy. All hierarchy dissolves within the group formed here—artists and spectators alike—into an almost tangible whole. One senses, diffusely, that everyone contributes to what unfolds before us, if only through a glance, a thought, a sensation, a foot marking the rhythm, or a breath momentarily held… Despite the multitude of visual stimuli offered, observing other audience members is equally fascinating. And this is precisely the guiding idea of VJing and Dynamic Constellations: “an invitation to a sensitive reflection on individuality (the point) within collectivity (the constellation).”

A very contemporary music acts both as a binding force and a guiding thread. An extraordinary experience that proves technology—far from being a factor of dehumanization—can instead powerfully help reconnect us to the sacred and to the rest of humanity.

Fabienne Cabado, Dfdanse
Montreal’s contemporary dance magazine

Acidic, industrial electronic sounds combined with 180° projections invite the audience to be carried away by the reflective perspective offered by this extraordinary collective. At its core is a dancer with a striking, disarticulated grace, moving at the center of a constellation symbolized by the screens, facing an audience that is both surprised and captivated by the dense, contemplative visual information of a VJing performance rich in ideas. This highly original show is sure to inspire both wonder and reflection, engaging the audience with numerous themes explored through this truly unique stage experience.
Patrick Lainesse , CHOQ FM


Multimedia can take many forms, as we know. Technological by definition and open by vocation to all disciplines, it can also attempt to embody a spiritual approach that touches on the very definition of life and consciousness. It is within these rich and mysterious waters that Johnny Ranger navigates…

Johnny Ranger moves in harmony with the times. This videographer-turned-VJ is just days away from launching a vast multidisciplinary fresco at the Society for Arts and Technology (SAT) entitled Dynamic Constellations. It is the result of a quest he has been pursuing for nearly three years, gathering images, sounds, and concepts throughout his travels.

“The performance is first and foremost a ‘vibrational’ experience combining images, light, sound, and movement. The spectator encounters video projections on multiple screens and hears two musicians as well as a performer-choreographer who gives physical form to the rhythmic logic of the images unfolding around them. […] Contrary to what usually happens—where the video adapts to the music—here the musicians and the entire creative team give free rein to spontaneity and improvisation… starting from the images. This results in a fragmented narrative mode that can lead to suprising synchronicities. Often, one even encounters a kind of new language generated by free associations between elements and by the continuous play of improvisation. Something more real than real.’’

All right.
Everyone has been warned.
Michel Bélair, Le devoir


Something tells us that MindRoots’ work should not be approached using the same criteria we might apply to appreciating a play by Michel Tremblay or a concert by U2. Perhaps it is because the documentation surrounding the company’s work—and that of its guiding force, Johnny Ranger—carries a form of esotericism that can be quite destabilizing. It is better to trust one’s senses than one’s logic.

In a telephone interview, Johnny Ranger—formerly known as Jean Ranger—confirms that the experience is above all sensory and vibrational. “It’s an immersive video experience. But it’s not an installation. The audience is seated to better receive the message, which is nonetheless quite dense and contemplative. It is narrative, but not in a linear way. There is nothing to hold onto.”
Ève Dumas. La presse