Ghost (ballet) (2016), a key installation in the ongoing Notes on Self Series, transforms the human body from a fixed image into a moving spatial experience. Comprised of 380 individual, crouched-body-scaled cubes crafted from nylon mesh and monofilament, this work serves as a powerful backdrop for the Louisville Ballet’s performance of George Ballanchine’s Kammermusik No.2, Op.36.No.1. 

Rather than serving as a static external boundary, the collective of permeable mesh forms functions as an interactive participant, weaving together the dance, music, and shifting light into a singular, cohesive spatial event. As the tempo of Paul Hindemith’s music changes, the lighting shifts from soft white to brighter tints. During moments of peak intensity, the forms become softly illuminated with an internal red glow, visibly pulsating in synchrony with the dancers’ heartbeats. This effect translates an intimate, internal physiological state—the heart’s rhythm—into a large-scale, shared architectural experience, creating a visual dialogue between the ethereal presence of the backdrop and the raw vitality of the dancers.