In today’s digital age, propaganda has assumed a new form – one which is increasingly convincing and effective. Artificial intelligence and synthetic media are becoming progressively successful at creating seemingly true imitations of real people, which brings with it enormous potential for manipulation. Deepfakes sow doubt, infiltrate our reality and endanger democratic society. In 2022,a fabricated video of the Ukrainian president Zelenskyy appeared on the internet, in which he called for the surrender of Ukrainian troops. It was a shocking infringement in the midst of the war.

Ensemble Recherche presents an artistic response to this phenomenon with its project propaganda. In collaboration with Prof. Nina Fischer, who leads the class for experimental film und media art at the University of the arts Berlin, two new works will be created for chamber ensemble, electronics, and video. Here, deepfakes are not simply presented as fraud, instead, they are used as a means of artistic expression and an expression of a political construction of reality. Synthesized voices and manipulated images are not used to conceal, but to reveal – as a means of analysis and criticism.

Two premieres form the core of the programme. Tamara Miller teams up with Nina Fischer and Yuheng Chen collaborates with Maya Masuda. Miller combines organic polyphony and extended techniques with posthuman and ecological considerations, often in reference to works of literature. Chen explores modulations of instrumental sounds between pitch and noise – his music compresses fragile emotions into intensive sonic images. The programme is complemented by Arnau Brichs’ Supra Calculated Will which reflects social manipulation musically, and Joanna Bailie’s Artificial Environments, which layers real sounds with fictitious comments – a game with our expectations and perception.

In this project, propaganda is not only conceived as a danger, but also an opportunity for an artistic intervention. Inspired by Oliver Marchart’s „conflictual aesthetics”, propaganda is proposed as a tool for political visualization and an invitation to consider new realities. Moreover, the collaboration with the UdK is a strong symbol for the relevance of artistic research and critical artistic praxis in times of cultural policy cutbacks.

With works by
Yuheng Chen (UA) & Maya Masuda, Tamara Miller (UA) & Nina Fischer/Maroan el Sani, Arnau Brichs and Joanna Bailie

ENSEMBLE RECHERCHE
Anja Clift, flute
Eduardo Olloqui, oboe
Shizuyo Oka, clarinet
Klaus Steffes-Holländer, piano
Christian Dierstein, percussion
Adam Woodward, violin
Sofia von Atzingen, viola
Åsa Åkerberg, violoncello
Lukas Nowok, sound design

Tickets
available at reservix.de, at Badische Zeitung Ticketservice and at the box office.

Supported by
Musikfonds and the Friends of Ensemble Recherche e. V.

In cooperation
with the Aktionstheater PAN.OPTIKUM