James Ferraro // The Deluge

Set in a nightmarish simulation of humanity – a Brueghelian underground – musician and critical futurist James Ferraro creatde a preview of work in-progress for his first-ever groundbreaking “opera “, The Deluge. We follow an Artificial Intelligence (AI) as they try to understand human suffering and emotion. As the AI struggles to emulate what it means to be human, tensions arise between the clinical gaze of the machine and the imperfection of its emulation.

The Deluge was commissioned by Abandon Normal Devices and Transmediale as part of the New Networked Normal,and with the support of the Creative Europe programme of the European Union. NNN was a partnership project by Abandon Normal Devices (UK) with Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB) (ES), The Influencers (ES), Transmediale (DE) and STRP (NL), that will explore art, technology and citizenship in the age of the Internet.

This communication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Nkisi // The Dark Orchestra

The Dark Orchestra was an immersive durational performance inviting audiences into an altered dream state and giving rise to astonishing experiences and otherworldly flights of the imagination in the dark and beyond.

Inspired by the cave as an entrance to the cosmic unconscious, the unknown and different dimensions, environments or states of mind, The Dark Orchestra drew on multiple manifestations and mythologies of shadows in the state of the world. Inspired by W.E.B. Dubois’ question, “How does it feel to be a problem? ” and by ancient warrior Kongo cosmology ideas of dream awareness, Nkisi imagined sound landscapes as dreams and as possible alternate realities.

Listening to the Dark was a series of prodigious sonic experiments, explorations and expeditions that could be found deep under the earth in the subterranean bunkers of Peak Cavern.

Over the course of AND Festival 2017, a selection of stellar artists, musicians, electronic music producers and composers,created a series of unique live performances and experiences, interactive digital installations, and interactive musical instruments, that transported visitors across vast spatial and temporal dimensions.

Image: The Dark Orchestra, Nkisi. Taken by Chris Foster.

The Deluge and The Dark Orchestra was originally part of AND Festival 2017 under the Listening to the Dark programme strand.