Anthropophagic Myths, Biopiracy and Opera in the Amazon / Klaus Spiess (AT), Emanuel Gollob (AT)/Photo: vog.photo
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Anthropophagic Myths, Biopiracy and Opera in the Amazon

Klaus Spiess (AT), Emanuel Gollob (AT)

Psychogeographies of Hope

How can we apply an Amazonian myth, as described by several anthropologists, to contemporary relations of nature and culture? How can we change romanticized colonial perspectives, such as Werner Herzog’s and others’ export of “Caruso Operas” to the Amazon? How can we use the growth necessities of microbes for a postcolonial narrative? How can we understand sound as a medium linking the environment to humans?

The audience sees a two-meter, hollow, double-walled, transparent cylinder filled with microbes between the walls, in which a tenor sings a Caruso aria. Vocal vibrations are transmitted to the microbial cylinder, and the microbes’ vibrational needs alter the sound. This changed sound is played on a phonograph in front of the cylinder, which reflects the microbial growth needs. The audience hears the altered sounds and perceives the vibrations through small haptic transmitters.

Bios

  • Photo: Daniel Sostaric

    Emanuel Gollob

    AT

    Emanuel Gollob investigates relations between the perceptions of AIs, robots and humans. Since 2020, he has been a PhD candidate at the University of Arts Linz. In 2023, he was a guest artist at the ZKM Karlsruhe and became EMAP residence artist at the WRO Art Center. His work has recently been exhibited at Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building, Washington DC (2021); Science Gallery Melbourne (2021); Art Science Museum Singapore (2022) and HEK Basel (2023).

  • Photo: Klaus Spiess

    Klaus Spiess

    AT

    Klaus Spiess has been directing the Arts in Medicine Program at the Vienna Medical University as an associate professor and he has been developing hybrid performances, which have been shown at the Click Festival Helsingör, Muffatwerk Munich, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, Beall Center of Arts and Technology, Irvine, the Onassis Cultural Center, Athens and he was awarded at the Prix Ars Electronica. He has published at Performance Research, The Lancet, Leonardo, Technoetic Arts, etc.

Credits

Electroacoustics, Sound: Paul Gründorfer, Michael Strohmann
Mechatronics: Jürgen Ropp, Interface Culture, University of The Arts, Linz
Voice, Tenor Singer: George Kounoupias, Univ. of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna
Dramaturgy, Choreography: Lucie Strecker, Performance Lab, University of Applied Arts, Vienna
Auditive Anthropology: Hans-Jürgen Hauptmann
Phonography: Christoph Freidhöfer
Microbiology: Mehrta Shirzadian, Mark Rinnerthaler, Heribert Insam, Amrito Geiser

Supported by the Austrian Science Fund AR 687 PEEK, Medical University and University of Applied Arts, Vienna.