Universal Everything’s work Presence 5.1 is part of the Presence series that consists of 24 films created from six separate dance sequences - each with four variations. Founder Matt Pyke was motivated by the desire to illustrate the simultaneous harmony and tension between drawing, architecture, human mobility, CGI and interaction. In order to achieve this, he initiated grand collaborations together with choreographer Benjamin Millepied and his LA Dance Project, architect Irene Shamma, composer Simon Pyke, animator Chris Perry, and programmer Mike Tucker using the latest motion-track technology; with the team set out to create the perfect balance between abstraction and figuration through an exploration of form where movement feels alive, and not synthetic.

Presence 5.1 is a striking example of how modern technology and innovation can reveal what makes us human in a whole new light. The animation of a dance between two people, completely abstracted into colour and line, is complete because the living form reveals itself within the abstract form, not vice versa. Pyke: “I have long been exploring the delicate balance between figurative and abstract forms. How far can you abstract a human form and still feel a living presence? This strand of anthropomorphism, though hinting at limbs, eyes or movements makes the work come alive.”