Sylvia Eckermann und Gerald Nestler

The metabolism between the inner nature of humans and the nature surrounding them is dysfunctional. In an age of accelerating extractivism, we seem to have become aliens in an environment that we rely on for survival but is steadily fighting back against our behaviour. The mixed-reality performance Like a Ray in Search of its Mirror responds to this rift in the world with a planetary diversity in search of “alien collectives.” Besides the human participants, also plants, fungi, microbes, animals, inorganic and synthetic matter, tools, and technologies populate a virtual space as a cosmological, closely knit community. A virtual membrane between the Internet and the real space of Forum Frohner invites unexpected encounters. During the performance, the meshwork of on-site feeds from the exhibition space is collected and edited live by a video artist, and the resulting stream is broadcasted on various online channels. After the performance, Like a Ray in Search of its Mirror is shown as an exhibition during donaufestival.

Credits

A mixed reality art project by Sylvia Eckermann and Gerald Nestler: 

PARTICIPANTS  
MC: Marian Kaiser, media theorist, dramaturge, author.  Fahim Amir, philosopher. Martina De Dominicis & Alberto Cissello [debocs]. Performers. Giuliana Furci, mycologist [live from Santiago de Chile]. Daniela Gandorfer, law & governance scholar [live from London]. Thomas Nail, philosopher [live from Denver]. Agostino Nickl, architect, AI researcher. Patricia Reed, artist & theorist. Maggie Roberts [0rphan Drift], artist [live from London]. Yuka Takahashi, performer [live from Columbus]. A Waldrapp bird & Gordan Savičić, artist, & Felix Stalder, media theorist. 

SOUND, MUSIC / VOCALS 
Soulcat E-Phife, DJ/MC. Volkmar Klien, composer. Wientaler Dreigesang, vocal ensemble. 

TEAM 
Markus Passecker: Head of XR production and Unity3D development.  
Marek Šimoník: Record3D volumetric video sharing.  
Michael Loizenbauer: Live-Streaming.  
Alexander Weber: Camera.  
Bela Eckermann: Technical structures.  
Daniel Hüttler: support. 
Maximilian Thoman: Co-Producer. 

PARTNERS  
donaufestival
medien.kunst.tirol | https://www.mkt.at  
Latent Spaces Research Project. Zurich University of the Arts | https://latentspaces.zhdk.ch/  
Radical Matter. A PEEK-FWF-funded artistic research project | https://www.radicalmatter.art/ 
./studio3. Institute for Experimental Architecture, University of Innsbruck | https://www.studio3.me/ 

Supported by: BMKOES | Bildrecht/ske | donaufestival.