Fractals of Prometheus: Unity of Images

June 1–3, 2023
Presented by La MaMa and CultureHub

Press
Culturebot

“Writers Alexa Derman and Sauda Jackson supported one of yet another CultureHub example of the medium as the message, providing the performers with different scenes around the myth of Prometheus and the theme of regret. In a form of metafiction, we knew that we as viewers were part of a ritual of rending, a pulling apart of reality that will once again reset after the artists have offered up all they can in a promethean effort.”
— Darvejon Jones with maura nguyễn donohue, CULTUREBOT
 

Fractals of Prometheus: Unity of Images is an interactive livestream experiment that travels through La MaMa’s newly renovated 74A building and uses its extensive data network to break past the four walls of the theatre. A group of writers, performers, musicians, and technologists create fractals of the myth of Prometheus, exploring themes of regret, resistance, and ritual, to collectively form a unity of images. 

Taking place in a digital venue, there were two ways to experience Fractals of Prometheus:

  1. Online – receive a streaming link that gives you access to the virtual platform where the performance will take place. This custom-built platform will allow you to see hand-drawn animations and interact with the performance in real-time.

  2. In-person – experience Fractals of Experience from behind-the-scenes traveling with the performers and crew as we stream from 10 different cameras and nearly as many rooms.

Fractals of Prometheus: Unity of Images is produced within CultureHub and La MaMa’s Experiments in Digital Storytelling program, which incubates story-driven artworks that push the boundaries of artistic forms.

Experiments in Digital Storytelling is made possible by generous support from the National Endowment for the Arts and Radio Drama Network.

CO–CREATORS
Writers: Alexa Derman, Sauda Jackson
Performers: Buffy, Mattie BB, John Maria Gutierrez, Valois Mickens, Kim Savarino
Technical Direction: DeAndra Anthony
Creative Technologist: Sangmin Chae
Concept / Creative Producing: Billy Clark, Mia Yoo, Mattie BB

Illustrations / Design: Sasa Yung
Dramaturgy / Archiving: Ben Hoover
Lighting Design: Evan Anderson
Sound Design: Leonie Bell
Live Music: Will Brown, Jack Lynch, Sunny
Audio: Live Park NY
Creative Coding: Aidan Nelson

 | Fractals of Prometheus | 26:45 

A note on process:

Fractals of Prometheus is both an experiment and also a work-in-progress, two terms that can tolerate some further explanation. 

For CultureHub and the other artists working on Prometheus, the act of experimentation is inherent to our creative process. We took the myth of Prometheus, considered what it might mean for humanity today, and tested options for how to tell the story using: 

  • Choreography/movement

  • Dramaturgy and archival practices

  • Hand-drawn illustration/animation

  • Handheld and stationary cameras

  • Lighting design

  • Live music

  • Live and pre-recorded video

  • Writing (storytelling is one of the elder technologies, after all)

  • Sound design

  • Web design

  • Video design 

The results of those tests are what you’ll see today, after roughly five days of working together in a laboratory-style creation process. 

The simple act of integrating these media within a single performance in a brand new building could be considered the beginning and end of an experiment, but a key goal of the Experiments in Digital Storytelling program—through which Prometheus was created—is to consider ways of using these technologies to highlight what unites us. Still, the question and answers to how technology can be a unifying force is ever evolving (another “work-in-progress”). 

More so, the term “work-in-progress” reveals each performance as a moment in its development and keeps the door open for alterations to either content and/or form. It also allows us to consider the role of the audience—you—in our experiments. We’re grateful for your presence and your feedback. Thank you for joining us.