The May 1997 First Edition
| Among Immortals | No Epiphany Required | May 1997 May saw us busy meeting and expanded the team... Collaboration and agreement and collaboration and disagreement... Reap some of what you have sawn in the first oudeis related performance... What is happening and what is not - that is the calendar. Truth or not the truth - that is the epiphany...
kis.productions
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On June 26th 1997, The Sala Terrena of
Palais Liechtenstein, Vienna, Austria, will become the
hall of Olympian Zeus, a place of joyous festivity surrounded by the
oceanic waves of the Internet. On this occasion, the world-wide
oudeis
team will gather together in virtual space for the creation of a global
theatrical production of Homer´s Odyssey / by
Monika Wunderer
Using the medium of the Internet, translations of Homer´s words in German will be sent into virtual space and come back as a multilingual translation framed by original musical compositions as the story of Odysseus, his wanderings, his companions and his opponents are created and presented. During the course of the evening, the audience will be invited to participate and influence this act of collaborative creation that will also serve to introduce Argentinean composer Santiago Pereson, Austrian costume designer Ulli Noe, American playwright L.H. Grant, and other members of the world-wide team in a performance conceived by L.H. Grant and Monika Wunderer. Status Quo Responsible for the contents: Monika Wunderer and Georg Leyrer Send any comments or articles to your editor. Computer Culture Calendar
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I
t seems that as the course of an artistic project moves forward there is
always a moment when the focus moves back to the fundamental questions and
issues. The result of this journey, if successful, is the discovery of an
old truth, or a new truth, or perhaps a new perspective of a truth / by
Dan Zellner
This new discovery then drives the project to its end. So it is with oudeis. When I joined the dialogue of the oudeis project the discussion ranged from technical considerations to language concerns but always the dialogue would return to the fundamental questions: What is the nature of theatre? What is the nature of the Internet? And how can theatre and the Internet work together? Together, the work continues. It has become very apparent that the machines we use for communication are mere extensions of the humans that work them. Fundamental truths of theatre collaboration hold true. Production considerations, concerns regarding the audience, and all the typical elements of theatre projects are present. These new ventures remain works of theatre. The performances are many times just as ephemeral. Computers continually develop and the tools are always being upgraded and changed. The Greek civilization left behind marble buildings and scrolls. The digital civilization will leave behind computer towers and discs with 1's and 0's on them. My attraction to the oudeis project stems from its combination of a classic tale with new technology. The old and the new move side by side to find a truth for us today. With hard work and a commitment to addressing the fundamental issues no epiphany is required...it is inevitable. |
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| Of course, collaboration does not always mean agreement. There have been heated exchanges, misunderstandings, and hurt feelings. Probably an unavoidable consequence of assembling so many gifted people with strong opinions and the ability to articulate them. Still, the overwhelming feeling generated from this enterprise has not been one of conflict but one of warmth and honesty. This is due in large measure to our team members in Vienna who have done their best to keep the lines of communication open, even in times of worker strikes, hardware problems and MOO crashes. | Now, as a playwright, my first love is the theater, where the world is one of my own making, where the artistic vision springs from a single source and where there are no creative compromises. Having said that, I must also state that working on oudeis has and will continue to be a richly rewarding experience. I have come to realize that this project is more than just a group of talented people joining together to stage a series of performances. It is about communicating with others from around the globe, learning about different ideas, and working together for a common goal. However, when all is said and done, what I will value most from this experience is the friends I have come to know and respect. |
copyright © 1997 by kis.productions
1150 Vienna, Austria, EUROPE
Holochergasse 34-34a
