AV Evening #3

Hands That Steal From "Other" Mouths, Temitope Olujobi

Hands that Steal from ‘Other’ Mouths is a two-player theatrical satire about Western empire and resource extraction. The performance blends live video gaming, electro-pop music, and an educational workshop on unequal exchange between the Global North and South.

Originally commissioned by Meow Wolf, this project embodies the exploitative relationship between an anthropomorphic mouth (the Global South) and a hand (the Global North). What began as a simple arcade game has evolved into an explosive show and a lesson in geopolitical history, sitting somewhere between a concert and a lecture.

"By repurposing the characters and controls from the original game, I designed a new gaming experience integrated into a series of animated musical environments, where a disembodied narrator ironically exposes how Western hands have established systems of exploitation."

The participatory workshop sheds light on real-world issues, helping to better grasp the connections between the geopolitical themes addressed and the world of the arcade game.

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Symbiotic Response, Wonwoori

A human-machine audiovisual performance

WONWOORI presents Symbiotic Response at ELEKTRA Montreal, an exploration of the sensory relationship between human and computer. Drawing on research into the mechanical hearing of cochlear implant users, the performance questions the process of symbiotic listening.

It explores three fundamental questions: how computers perceive human sounds, how humans hear machine-generated sounds, and finally, the possibility of shared musical pleasure. Through corpus-based analysis and machine learning, the work establishes a dialogue of reciprocal listening, seeking a space where humans and AI can coexist through sound.

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Franken Tacit, Tacit Group

FrankenTacit, a new 45-minute enigmatic creation, is a collaboration with an "AI monster" trained in the unique aesthetic of the Tacit Group. Two AI performers, driven by machine learning, interact with the artist in real time. Although only one artist stands on stage, the energy is so intense that it feels like witnessing the synchronous breathing and creation of three distinct performers.

The performance opens with a reimagined version of "Vertical Hunminjeongak," where the artist dialogues with the two AIs, transmuting language into a soundscape. In "Game Over 2026," the artist faces off against the two AIs in a game while generating live music, revealing the raw dynamics of the system. The narrative climax is reached with "System 4.0," where the artist, through live coding, collaborates with the AIs—which have integrated their artistic DNA—to master complex emotions on stage and the collective breath of the audience.

Condensed into a sophisticated design and a polished visual aesthetic, this experience opens new horizons for the symbiosis between artist and AI. It offers a striking glimpse into the art of tomorrow, at that critical threshold where technology pushes the boundaries of human potential.