About the project

Vital Signs is a solo performance using live medical equipment and projection technology to explore how Black, larger bodies are medicalised and made invisible. The work turns the body into both stage and storyteller, reclaiming autonomy and joy through immersive tech and personal narrative. This is the second development for this project.

Vital Signs was presented as a new scenes performance with projection mapping and live medical equipment on 10 February 2026 in NIDA’s Reg Grundy Studio, followed by a Q&A. The evolution from the 2024 showing was more levity in the storytelling and new contextual narrative elements, with the technology no longer an add-on. The live heart rate data, projection-mapped visuals, and Angela’s performance combined to create a visceral, deeply moving experience that had audiences visibly affected. 

Award: $10,000