The House of Monstress Intelligenzia
Performance Digital Culture Theatre & Performance
Artifical Intelligence (AI) is the attempt to equip computers with intelligent behaviour and autonomous decision-making processes. While doing so, it becomes evident that computers lean towards discriminatory conduct, as do the humans from whom they learn. This shows, for example, in the field of image recognition, where AI is already frequently in use. Here, the systems follow a codified norm and “recognise” only men or women. Binary concepts of gender are employed, repeated, and perpetuated.
The House of Monstress Intelligenzia is an alternative draft to the prevailing system and its databanks. It is the attempt to turn the “glitches” – presumed errors within the system – into the foundation for the development of an alternative, queer-feminist AI. Media artists allapopp and Janne Kummer aka.alaska invent an AI to dream up bodies that do not adhere to social norms. Their performance comes up in a connection of queer theory, community-based approaches to learning, as well as digital and performative art.
For The House of Monstress Intelligenzia allapopp & Janne Kummer aka.alaska collaborated with Luna Nane and Portrait XO. Luna is an artist and designer and instructional in the processes of machine learning for the performance The House of Monstress Intelligenzia. Portrait XO conducts research in the fields of computer creativity as well as human-machine collaboration.
The preceding workshop How to: Queer Feminist AI on September 13 teaches some of the foundations of artistic work with AI to all those interested. You may choose to participate on site at the FFT or digitally. Participation is free of charge. Please register at: tickets@fft-duesseldorf.de
cast
Janne Kummer aka.Alaska (they/she) works with hybrid media, between performance and digital art. She teaches, does research, and works on the influence of digital technology on the (re)presentation and perception of bodies and on the development of queer-feminist future narratives.
allapopp (no pronoun) works at the intersection of live performance, digital media, and music. alla’s work concentrates on tech-positive visions of the future and queer-feminist perspectives on digital technology. alla is part of BBB_ and the dgtlfmnsm Kollektiv.
Luna Nane (she/her) is an artist and developer in the field of interactive media. She works with real-time graphics, machine learning, and procedural generation as well as with the connection of digital and analogue technology. Content-wise, she deals with (trans)identity and synthetic bodies. Luna was instructional for the processes of machine learning within the performance “The House of Monstress Intelligenzia”. She explores the possibilities of peer-to-peer, open source, and community-led learning through a queer-feminist lens, together with aka.alaska and allapopp.
Portrait XO (she/they) creates musical and visual works using traditional and non-traditional methods. She is an independent researcher in the areas of computer creativity and human-machine collaboration and explores new formats and applications for forward-looking art and sound.
Concept & artistic direction, performance & production: allapopp, Janne Kummer aka.alaska. Creative direction, creative technology, visual art: Luna Nane. Composition & sound: Portrait XO. Stage & costume: Josa David Marx. Stage and costume assistance: Sina Kempe. Live editing & video: Janine Müller. Production management: Nora Liebetreu, Johanna Leifeld. With friendly support lent by: Despace Berlin.
credits
Production: allapopp & Janne Kummer aka.alaska. Coproduction: HAU Hebbel am Ufer, FFT Düsseldorf. Support granted by: Fonds Darstellende Künste e.V.
