Multimedia Theater Play Based on a Classic Sci Fi Novel by H. W. Franke
July 6th – 8 pm
“Sandfiction 4K: The Orchid Cage”
Akademie der Künste, Berlin Hanseatenweg
Final Event of the Summit: Performance of an actress, two musicians and a sand painter – and with special appearance of an Artificial Intelligence – Introduction: Dietmar Dath
“Why should they think? Happiness only comes from feeling. Everything else interferes.”
The Machine
Quote from “The Orchid Cage” by Herbert W. Franke (1961)
Herbert W. Franke’s novel is an exciting and bitter parable about the evolution of mankind in a high tech entertainment cyberworld. A new English translation of The orchid Cage is now published at Springer (e-book and print version).
As soon as the lights dim down, a cheerful stewardess struts in to congratulate the audience on their participation in the 4K experiment by the Sandfiction Gaming Pleasure Company. Swinging – does she remind of a sterile doll in her actions … ? – she explains the rules: Two teams travel by a synchronized beam to the planet CKPS-18102724 to find the most highly developed organism there in a virtual game competition. It soon becomes clear that human-like beings must have been existing there. But where are they? They seem to have disappeared. Has civilization died? The virtual earthlings begin their precise search on this planet – they soon realize that they are being controlled by a barely perceptible but their actions closely tracking machine that we now would call an “artificial intelligence”. It holds the players ethically responsible in a trial for their devastating actions on the alien planet. Finally, “the Machine” reveals a surprising secret about the orchid cage and the beings on this planet, who had created the artifical intelligence long time ago …
The art meets science – Foundation Herbert W. Franke enables the artist group to perform “The Orchid Cage” once again as part of the Generative Art Summit at the Akademie der Künste – for the first time in English. Information and video of the historic performance from 2018 here (in German). The event at the end of the summit takes today’s controversial debate about whether AI can be used as an art machine into a much broader dimension. In this parable, it raises the question of whether humans can create an artificial intelligence that will be much more in the future: a moral and all-encompassing happiness machine that fulfills people’s every wish and thus leads them into an evolutionary horror scenario.
The English translation The Orchid Cage has also been published by Springer in time for the Generative Art Summit. Christian Caron, Executive Publisher at Springer on the new English publication: “It is an extraordinary honor for Springer edition to be able to publish this equally early and timelessly relevant novel in its new English translation. Franke skillfully interweaves numerous scientific and philosophical themes in this short, haunting work, culminating in one of the most powerful literary warnings to date about technology-driven human evolution and immortality.” The Orchid Cage is now available in the Springer online shop or from any bookshop.
Artist group KALEIDOLUX
Sarah Gros NF | Actress, Text
Chris Kaiser | Sand Painter
Peter Nickel | Violoncello
Xoforo | Electronic Sounds
The premiere of the piece took place in 2018 as part of the European Church Music Festival. The Remszeitung newspaper in Germany wrote: “A phenomenal piece of multimedia art in every respect”. And journalist Hartmut Thamm in his own blog “Wenn am Ende aus dem Sand purpurne Orchideen erblüh’n” as well as in this printed newspaper review: “A courageous, stirring, exciting project… A great experiment for which there are shouts of bravo and long-lasting applause. It challenges you and offers no solutions, but leaves you with questions to take home with you.”
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