THEMES:

Our modern lives have been converted into code—our consumer lives cataloged and referenced as transferable and marketable data for sale. Have we become mere accumulations of information, data, to be downloaded and sold to the highest bidder? Do our physical experiences, senses and emotions only matter in the production of more data?

For some, our bodies have become useless sensory machines—"meat machines"—that are inefficient, decay, and ultimately die. These technologists are looking for ways to improve the "meat machine" by adding intelligent prostheses. Some claim that we already experience the world through our prosthetic extensions. We don't have to look far. Our smartphones are devices that enhance all our abilities. But more are planned.

Transhumanists are going even further. They seek to bypass the body entirely by cryogenically preserving the brain until future society invents the technology that will allow immortality. Death becomes a disease to be eradicated. What becomes of our humanity once it is so completely entangled with prosthetics, algorithms, and artificial bodies? A phantom humanity.

FORMAT:

Post-Humanum examines these questions through a non-narrative and non-linear lens. The in-person version creates a series of interactive scenes along an immersive promenade. The video-edited version compiles selected scenes from the entire piece. The live version will be a hybrid, combining pre-edited and live-streamed video and in-person scenes.

The content of the scenes mimics the random juxtapositions (across all media platforms) of news, advertisements, personal stories, and scientific discoveries, accompanied by a range of emotions from love to outrage. The performance will capture a social snapshot of what it means to be alive today, tomorrow and perhaps forever... while integrating a teenage and adult audience into various participatory, live and digital activities.

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video available here