The theatre machine

PRAGAMATA

Germany

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On a miniature stage: a head, a box and a talking metal eye. Objects with their own will: scissors, knives and magnets. Add to this a milling machine, dancing balls, fleeting sounds and searching lights, all led by an all-embracing algorithm. The theatre machine combines mechanical theatre with digital object theatre. Only one person sets everything in motion and spends 10 minutes on the other side of reality in a setting of machines and equipment. Surrounded by digital omnipotence and its seeming uncontrollability, his role as an autonomous being is redefined.



PRAGMATA was founded in 2015 by the visual artist Angelina Kartsaki and the sound artist Sebastian Schlemminger. Their approach is to breathe new – or different – life into objects. The theatre machine is the collective’s first major production. This performance for one person, which is driven by a computer algorithm, tells of everyday life with machines and computers by using animated objects, sounds and lights.