[Film] Shamel Pitts & Edson Pavani | O.K.

I worked as Assistant Director on the video art project "O.K.", alongside acclaimed choreographer Shamel Pitts, multidisciplinary artist Edson Pavoni, and photographer & videographer Jamie Ellington. The work will be released in 2026.

Artist Statement‍

Two dancers face each other. From beginning to end, they remain in search of eye contact. Each wears a heart rate sensor and a body-mounted microphone.

Between them stands a kinetic sculpture with two independently moving sides. One arm responds to one dancer’s heartbeat; the other to their partner’s. The sculpture is powered by real-time biometric data. As the dancers’ heart rates rise, the sculpture moves faster. As they calm, its motion slows.

The choreography draws from the staredown ritual before a boxing match. The dancers move in relation to each other without ever touching. Their movements shift from stillness to intensity. The sculpture echoes this arc.

When the dancers meet, there is an invitation. A “OK” that signals the ignition of the dance—a mutual consent to begin. And at the end, after the tension and release, one dancer walks away. The dancer who remains breaks the fourth wall and turns to the viewer. They ask, simply: “OK?”

A final invitation – for the viewer to listen to their own heartbeat, and to begin their own dance.

The performance is filmed. The footage – rich with breath, heartbeat, and movement – is shaped into a short film.

Man and machine allowing themselves to soften in the context of pressure.