Saturday, June 6, 2015

Google Project: Los Atlantis

Los Atlantis is a multi-media interactive theater experience funded by Google put on by UCLA's Theater, Film and Television school. It discusses the dependency our society has on technology. We are constantly using our phones and our reliance on them for directions, communication, etc. The experimental performance contrasts the memory of technology with the memory of humans. "The Archive" is consistently referred similar to the cloud and the four main characters go on a journey of reminiscing and reflecting on their own memories and the emotions tied to it.
The four characters would meet up from time to time and then split off on their own. The audience is to choose one path to follow and walk around Macgowan into different rooms to experience different things. Each room had a different set design and used different lighting to change the mood.
Although it was a fairly amateur performance and the tech was a little off, I think it describes the society's reliance on technology immensely.
The audience members are each invited to the performance website in order to register. After registering, each audience member is asked to attach photos, videos, and/or hashtags. Each are compiled and played throughout the performance. Throughout the scenes, each phone registered gets notifications regarding the actors they are following. The performance as a whole emphasizes how technology facilitates and almost controls our lives, almost like a robot, to the point where we solely rely on it. I think it is important for audience members to see this in work.
Ironically, however, the performance is streamed online for people to watch even if they cannot make it. It takes away from the experience as a whole, but what can we do, we live in a world where technology facilitates everything merging the two cultures of art and technology.


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