The Books of Jacob
June 8–10, 2023
Presented by La MaMa and CultureHub in association with the Polish Cultural Institute New York
La MaMa and CultureHub in association with the Polish Cultural Institute New York present The Books of Jacob by Dream Adoption Society, a digital laboratory led by Krzysztof Garbaczewski. The Books of Jacob is inspired by Olga Tokarczuk's Nobel prize-winning novel of the same name which explores the historical events surrounding Jacob Frank, a man who claimed to be the reincarnation of Sabbatai Zevi. In front of a live audience, Garbaczewski creates a hybrid theatre and virtual reality experience that delves into the ideas and relevance of Jacob's transformative religious movement in 18th Century Europe.
The Books of Jacob 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. Additional support for Krzysztof Garbaczewski’s fellowship in Experiments in Digital Storytelling is provided by TMU and Polish Cultural Institute New York.
CREATIVE TEAM
Performers – Danusia Trevino, Anna Podolak, Ola Rudnicka
Adaptation – Rébecca Pierrot
Costume Design – Monika Palikot, Sławomir Blaszewski
Music: Jan Duszyński
Avatars – Anastasiia Vorobiova
Set Design – Bettina Katja Lange, Krzysztof Garbaczewski
Set Coordinator – Piotr Gawelko
Director, VR Design – Krzysztof Garbaczewski
CULTUREHUB
DeAndra Anthony – Technical Director
Mattie Barber-Bockelman – Producing Director
Sangmin Chae – Creative Technologist
Billy Clark – Artistic Director
Evan Anderson – Lighting Consultant
Live Park NY – Audio
| The Books of Jacob | 53:52
More about the project:
La MaMa, CultureHub, and Polish Cultural Institute New York invited Poland-based digital laboratory Dream Adoption Society and his creator Krzysztof Garbaczewski to be a part of Experiments in Digital Storytelling 2023, CultureHub’s multi-pronged program that brings artists, writers, creative technologists, and scientists together to spark new forms. Pioneers of digital storytelling, Dream Adoption Society and CultureHub share a mission to investigate and develop noncommercial platforms for artistic online experiences. After collaborating remotely throughout the season, Garbaczewski was in residence at CultureHub from April–June, 2023, culminating in a final presentation as part of CultureHub’s Experiments in Digital Storytelling 2023.
Garbaczewski’s project draws from Nobel prize-winning Polish author Olga Tokarczuk’s epic historical novel The Books of Jacob. Garbaczewski was first drawn to the book while incorporating metaphysical texts into his theatre practice, especially those of Jewish messianic thinker Sabbatai Zevi and Jacob Frank – the 18th Century man who claimed to be Sabbatai Zevi reincarnated. Tokarczuk’s novel takes on the perspectives of Jacob’s followers and others who witnessed his establishment of a transformative religious movement against the kaleidoscopic backdrop of Poland, Ukraine, Turkey, and Greece. Despite its power in 18th Century Europe, Jacob’s movement has largely been forgotten by European history. Struck by Jacob’s ideas and their relevance to today, Garbaczewski is motivated to explore the work as a multiplayer virtual reality experience.
The source material lends itself to the project, which is dependent on collaboration across fields, aesthetic disciplines, languages, and geographic locations. The Books of Jacob provides a fascinating panorama of many cultures inhabiting and mixing through centuries. The characters transcend their traditions to collaborate on a new system of thought. The text mirrors the project’s mission to combine CultureHub and Dream Adoption Society’s resources to create new systems of making and experiencing art.