Ruth Gibson and Bruno Martelli: nino (2025)
Thursday, 27 November from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
dance installation
Kino Šiška, Komuna
The Novacene is the conceptual lens through which nino frames anxiety about AI, as well as issues of identity and connection prevalent in contemporary society, and promotes a future characterised by increased connectivity, a return to the body, and a reconnection with the environment. The novacene*, proposed by scientist James Lovelock, originator of the Gaia theory, describes a hypothetical new geological era succeeding the Anthropocene, one in which ultra-intelligent, self-improving artificial systems become the dominant force shaping Earth’s biosphere.
Through the use of virtual incarnation and social interaction, an immersive experience is created, facilitating connections and collaborations with the audience. Technology, including real-time motion capture, AI, and game engines, is employed to develop avatars and environments. The unconventional body types of the avatars invite consideration of how we define ourselves and how those definitions evolve interactions in virtual spaces. In this speculative simulation, the user becomes at once the author and the viewer of the artwork, an unconventional game-like experience.
*Lovelock, J. (2019). Novacene: The Coming Age of Hyperintelligence. London: Allen Lane
Creators: Ruth Gibson, Bruno Martelli
Dancers: Eszter Gál, Csilla Gesztelyi Nagy, Balázs Oláh, Mar Serra Martí, Helén Tamaskó, Robert Anderson, Ally Clarke, Ruby Portus, Zara Philips
Music: Mechanoid Muse (Marcus Villaca), Casually Here (Nic Nell)
Sound design: Nic Nell
Dramaturg/Vo: Catherine Duquette
Costume: Kitti Laposa
Special thanks: Liza Nagy, Naoto Hieda, William Ruddock Primett
Created in the frame of the MODINA project, co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union
Supported by: SIN Arts Centre, MotionBank/CCL University of Applied Sciences Düsseldorf (HSD)
Visitors can come in and out at any time during the event.
* The performance will be held in English.
Organised by: Kino Šiška and NDA Slovenia
Free entry
Supported by:
Cover photo: video still