Theatre is not only a mirror of the present, it also represents possible futures and offers reasons to reflect on major themes. In the installation Memory Lapse, we see how fallible old-fashioned tape recorders attempt to conserve the past. In Quand 3, we see how performers follow a choreography based on works by Beckett. One performer shares physical space with the audience, the others are elsewhere. Their movements are visible in space with the help of technology, in real time. Who or what determines the course of things here and has agency? The deceased writer? The performers? The technology? The creators? Or, after all, the audience? Technology not only follows human action, it also guides it. We need to have a good discussion about that. Caspar Nieuwenhuis, director HKU and catalyst internationalization at LIKEMINDS, moderates a conversation on relationships between society, technology and the future.
Stefan Roolvink, Marijke Hessels and Jorrit Thijn join the SPRING Topic Talk. Stefan has been working as a researcher at the Rathenau Instituut since 2021. Currently, he is investigating the upcoming metaverse and the societal risks and opportunities that might come along with this new technology. Marijke works as a tech dramaturge at Ulrike Quade Company. She works on various research projects on (puppet) theatre and robotics, and has set up a expert meetings called Future Stages. Jorrit is a creative writer, speculative designer and forester without a forest. He writes and designs for interaction, theatre, geo-based audio experiences, installations and short stories. He teaches Interactive Narratives at the graduate programmes Writing for performance and Interactive performance design at the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten in Utrecht.
SPRING Topic Talks are deepening conversations on SPRING themes: current issues that matter. The moderator will engage with artists from the festival and interesting guest speakers. The Talks are for the curious listener, the critical expert, the student and the professional. They are easy to combine with a visit to a performance, but can also be attended separately. The Talks are free and open to everyone. Making a reservation is recommended.
Stefan Roolvink en Caspar Nieuwenhuis
Marijke Hessels en Joris Weijdom
SPRING Topic Talk: What Technology Wants is supported by Likeminds.
