How do you rekindle the magic in a world of machine-made poetry, robot psychotherapists and crypto art? That’s the oh-so-relevant question dealt with at Spirits, Jinns & Avatars, a ten-day festival of performances and exhibitions starting at HAU today (02–12.03.2023). It’s all about finding so-called “strategies of (re)enchantment” or, in other words, how art can thrive in an AI-driven world. In one of the festival performances – Ouroboros – choreographer Adham Hafez approaches the art-tech puzzle by embracing robots wholeheartedly: he uses ChatGPT to create the script for a show about tail-swallowing serpents. Also letting AI do the talking is designer Nadezhda Bey, whose installation Data Death is on display at HAU2 during the festival. Bey’s virtual world deals with an often-ignored concern: what happens to all this data we’re creating when we no longer need it?
The magic reaches an eerie climax with Philippe Quesne’s performance of pianos, projections and props. The French director does away with actors entirely, instead employing skeletons and self-playing keyboards as his protagonists. You can combine Quesne’s piece with Mazaher, a concert which blends music with an ancient Arabic healing ritual. And finally: some more self-improvement in the form of Spiritual Boyfriends, a dance performance by Núria Guiu in which the choreographer performs yoga at the altar of the holiest of deities: YouTube stars. Jivamukti meets Justin Bieber? Welcome to the brave new world…
Text: Benji Haughton / Credit: HAU Hebbel am Ufer
Spirits, Jinns & Avatars (02–12.03.2023) – program takes place across all HAU venues. Tickets can be purchased online.
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