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Prix2008
Prix 1987 - 2007

 
 
Organiser:
Ars Electronica Linz & ORF Oberösterreich
 


HONORARY MENTION
Theatre#_
Mikko Hynninen


The concept of Theatre#_ is extremely simple. With the technical means available - lighting, a smoke machine, air-conditioning systems or microphones, for example - an in-situ performance is created for which the space itself is fundamental - which also explains the seemingly arbitrary title. Theatre#_ stands for a complete audiovisual experience, a performance without actors and a concert without instruments or musicians.

Theatre#_ takes place in a theater. The leading role is played by the technical media. Utilitarian objects come to life on stage. A microphone hung on a cable swings around like a snake, ortwo monitors carry on a wordless conversation by rolling toward one another or by flashing on and off. Moreover, the room takes on unexpected personal traits: a wall light suddenly illuminates a hollow space, in the ceiling, the fluorescent lights are bickering, flicking nervously. In this mechanical ballet, technical materials - readymades - are made anthropomorphic. Together with the space, they become a unified, living organism.

Every bit as important as the visual aspect of Theatre#_ is the musical experience it generates. Orchestrated action of the equipment and the technical functions of the room produce sound, simultaneous with their actions. The microphone circling the stage, for example, produces a swelling crescendo, a shrill feedback; the flickering fluorescent lights emit soft zooming tones. All the sounds are brought into a minimalist, electronic composition in a live performance. But at the same time, it builds on the tradition of mechanical music and performance. It can also be seen as an acoustic, theater-technical composition in the atmosphere of glitch music.

Supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Arts Council of Finland, AVEK, the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, the Avanto Festival, the Argos Festival, the Transmediale Festival and the Paris Quartier d'Été Festival