All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace

Co-productie

Residenties

  • 03.07 > 21.07.2023

I like to think (and
the sooner the bet­ter!)
of a cyber­ne­tic mea­dow
whe­re mam­mals and com­pu­ters
live together in mutu­al­ly
pro­gram­ming har­mo­ny
like pure water
tou­ching clear sky.

I like to think
(right now plea­se!)
of a cyber­ne­tic forest
fil­led with pines and elec­tro­nics
whe­re deer stroll peacefully
past computers
as if they were flowers
with spin­ning blossoms.


I like to think
(it has to be!)
of a cyber­ne­tic ecology
whe­re we are free of our labors
and joi­ned back to nature,
retur­ned to our mammal
bro­thers and sisters,
and all wat­ched over
by machi­nes of loving grace.

(Richard Brautigan)


In All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace ver­ken­nen Ezra Veldhuis en Bosse Provoost vrij­heid en onvrij­heid in rela­tie tot tech­no­lo­gie, door het gelijk­na­mi­ge gedicht van Richard Brautigan uit 1967 te ensceneren.


Machines, medi­cij­nen, algo­rit­mes: veel nieu­we tech­no­lo­gie lijkt eer­der (arbeids)disciplinerend of gericht op soci­a­le con­tro­le, dan dat ze ons nieu­we vor­men van vrij­heid geeft. Betekent dit dat Brautigans droom dood is? Leven we al in een totaal geper­ver­teer­de rea­li­sa­tie ervan? Of bevat de in zijn droom beloof­de vrij­heid nog steeds potentieel? 


At last I am free, I can hard­ly see in front of me!

Concept, ligh­ting and sce­no­grap­hy: Ezra Veldhuis & Bosse Provoost I Choreography: Nathan Ooms, Bosse Provoost, Ezra Veldhuis I Performers: Estefanía Álvarez Ramírez, Jayson Batut, Nathan Ooms I Costume design: Carly Rae Heathcote I Sound design: Benne Dousselaere I Execution set: Sibran Sampers I Technical sup­port: Wim Bernaers I Outside eye: Marc Vanrunxt I Internship: Cesar Vromman I Production: Hiros I Co-pro­duc­ti­on: C‑TAKT, NEXT Festival, auawir­le­ben Festival, Kunstenwerkplaats, SPRING Performing Arts Festival, CAMPO, Per Podium I With the sup­port of: Kunstencentrum BUDA, De Grote Post, Le Bamp, STUK, Kunst/​Werk, Stad Gent, the Flemish govern­ment, taxs­hel­ter of the Belgian Federal Government via Ufund