Where does the subject end and the machine begin? How do we negotiate agency when using and relying on various technologies? To what extent do they preside over us? In “Inferno,” subjectivities rupture; participants are divided and split, allowed only partial control over their own bodies. In this liminal experience of purgatory, the ambiguous possibility of salvation hangs overhead beguiled audience members, who submit to a spectacle of suffering. Mirroring our contemporary entanglements and fascinations with various technologies and power imbalances, “Inferno” runs over three days, allowing select members of the public to participate in surrendering agency to a cyborgian robotic entity.

Participate

Ticket or passholders that are interested in participating in the performance by wearing one of the exoskeletons are invited to email us at inferno@ctm-festival.de. Please indicate the date and time of the performance you will attend in your email. First come first served. Please also note that you will be asked to arrive early to prepare for the concert for a briefing and preparations, which include safety instructions and signing a waiver. Participants will be asked to wear an exoskeleton weighing 20 Kg for the approximately 1 hour-long concert. Both smoke and stroboscopic lights will be used during the concert.

“Inferno” is part of the culture programme related to Canada’s Guest of Honour presentation at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2020. We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Government of Canada.