WE, the lustful machines 

a multidimensional performance 

 where the intuitive body, radical forces & AI converge  

This manual can be used in multiple ways - depending on when you intend to read it. The  choice is yours, or is it all pre-determined? 

Welcome to a multidimensional performance where the intuitive body, artificial  intelligence, and radical artistic expression converge. As you navigate through We, the lustful machines, you  are transformed inside a dynamic interplay that follows a triptych structure (Before -  During - After). Manifested in synchronised patterns of dance, music, motion capture,  lights, sounds and much more - to capture the depths of human desire and survival. 

Intricately weaved together to be experienced as a cohesive artistic expression, these creations evolve - as they learn from one another - blurring the lines between the physical and digital. You, as the witness of it all unfold, are encouraged to activate your senses, to  engage and finally, to reflect. 

BEFORE : PROLOGO D'ENTRATA 

(Suggestion : can be fun maybe to make it interactive, that people can pause reading here  and flip to read more about the technical aspects) 

Can bodily memory be encapsulated inside the workings of an ai machine - subtracted to the logics of ones and zeros? 

As you enter the venue, at the Salle des Concerts, you encounter ai | lieu de vie, an installation that manifests the digital memory of dance through physical movement.  

- Pause here and flip to the other side to learn more. (Arrow) 

ai | lieu de vie cycles through seven distinct states, each corresponding to a chapter from the main performance. However, these are not simple repetitions – the AI continuously evolves, creating new variations and unexpected combinations. ai | lieu de vie represents  a point of convergence where hope and desperation, structure and chaos, machine and human creativity meet. Does ai | lieu de vie act like a guardian angle, preserving and enhancing  the essence of dance through technology? Or is it taking over the intuitive body, devouring the  lustful expression in an act of Cannibalism? 

Echoing digital fragments, in this chapter, you encounter a dancer wearing sensors that  capture their movements in real-time, this is where the boundary between the digital and physical begins to blur. The dancer's movements are instantly translated into sound and light through seven distinct instrumental states, each created through a combination of motion capture data and acoustic fragments from Franck Krawczyk's original composition. 

In this phase, you witness the direct dialogue between human intuition and artificial intelligence. The dancer's movements don't simply trigger pre-recorded sounds – they interact with an AI system that has learned to interpret and respond to movement in feedback loops. The sound output is continuously modulated by the dance, creating a unique composition for each performance. 

Perception & Embodiment  

What is intriguing about ai | lieu de vie - unlike many AI systems that process language or generate images - it works primarily with movement and bodily knowledge. Can one locate the intuitive exploration of the dancer inside the ai’s body? Does the visual and the corporal  presence capture the essence of embodiment? Or is it a reduction to what the dancer embodies in their practice? This is a non-verbal conversation that is carried in the engagement you are witnessing, a dialogue between the dancer and the machine. 

DURING : We, the Lust on Nous, Le Radeau  

You are guided through a blackhole to the main performance - We, the Lust on Nous, Le  Radeau, which unfolds across seven phases of diverse human lust for life. Here, matter and  memory are infinitely intertwined, as the chapters are enhanced by AI, while it continuously learns from each performance. Conceptually inspired by Théodore  Géricault’s “The Raft of the Medusa,” an imposing painting that depicts a crowded and  fragile raft on the sea. Choreographed and staged by Emio Greco & Pieter C. Scholte, the  raft finds its way to the performance’s stage, holding together the waves of dancers and  musicians. Surrounded by a sea of digital aura, that captures a visual dialogue between  interactive light patterns and a swinging pendulum. The pendulum marks the passage of  time, swinging between each episode from the triptych BEFORE - DURING - AFTER. 

Just as Géricault broke with convention by placing a black figure waving a flag of hope at  the apex of his compositional pyramid - a radical statement on the collapse of social  hierarchies in moments of crisis - this performance dismantles traditional boundaries and  invites conversation between the three forces — the lustful, technological & radical. 

The compositional pyramid abstracts and inverts, giving birth to the musical structure of  the performance. Transitioning from the expansive complexity of Gordon’s electric guitars  and gradually condensing into more concentrated forms. This journey reflects the  distillation of human experience, from chaos to essence, ending with the playful sounds of  a toy piano.

AFTER: Revisiting ai | lieu de vie 

After the performance, the digital aura brings you back to ai | lieu de vie. What resonates  with you as you meet again? What impressions did you gather on this journey?  

(Suggestion : can make it interactive, leave a space for them to write their thoughts)

Up-cycling Principles  

WE, the lustful machines embodies up-cycling principles — energetically, conceptually & materially | technically. 

Energetically, the work constantly evolves, as data fragments into different forms, tapping  into sounds, movements and light patterns. What is ownership in a work that distributes its creative agency?  

Conceptually, the work reinvents from older mediums and historical references. By recycling the concept of the pyramid present in Géricault’s “The Raft of the Medusa,” and its ethical and moral associations, it reframes the pyramid and invites reflection on what it  means to be a human in an increasingly technological world. 

At it’s core, the performance transforms existing elements into new forms of heightened  artistic and technological significance. Through a sustainable approach, it manifests in  various dimensions, driven by the lustful force of innovation & discovery.  

Materially, ai | lieu de vie is an evolved creation, built on a series of LED curtains  originally featured in a previous performance-installation "One Man Without a Cause.”  Technically, the ai operates in self-sustaining cycles, continuously learning and evolving,  which feeds into the choreographic and musical dynamics.

Zooming out on this project, NOUS, le RADEAU is part of EG | PC's "WE-Cycle" series.  Lastly, the performance structure itself follows an ascending spiral, building to a crescendo  that elevates the triangle of AI-Lust-Radicalité.  

This commitment to up-cycling reflects a broader artistic philosophy where innovation  emerges from transformation rather than pure creation. The lustful force driving this  evolution mirrors humanity's perpetual desire for discovery and reinvention.