Abstract

Nge-Glicth is an experimental collaboration involving IKJ's Art and Technology Laboratory and ISBI Bandung's Body Laboratory. It was performed on 22 October 2023 at the National Gallery in Central Jakarta, Indonesia. In this performance, we tried to explore the relationship between the body and technology through artistic experiments in performing arts. "Glitch" is a term that emerged from the computer world, referring to a problem or interruption in an Internet connection. We borrowed this term because the symptoms of "glitch" also often arise in the social life of today's society. This symptom is present in our observation of the behaviour of people around the cities of Jakarta and Bandung who depend on technology through electronic devices, which then become a space for the expression of all forms of emotions that are often beyond the limits of reason.

In this experiment, we used simple technology, such as kinect sensors, visual manipulation using Adobe in Design, and remote communication through Zoom. The space that was built was not like a normal performance space, but rather adapted to the environmental conditions of the venue. Our form of performance is participatory and interactive, to test whether the audience will actually follow whatever the virtual human characters we create tell them to do. The dramaturgy we built tells the story of a woman who falls in love with a virtual human, and she does whatever the virtual human asks. The virtual human becomes a human, and the human becomes a machine. In this performance, the audience also follows this love story by following whatever the virtual human asks.
 

Between the analogue and digital worlds in the context of performing arts, we explore the technical aspects in the search for answers to research questions. The battle between the digital body and the human body has become so real; it has become a daily life challenge that must be faced. In the ever-increasing influence of digital technology, is there still space for weakened human bodies? What is the reality of the body in virtual and real life and how does it relate to everyday life?
 

Keywords: body, technology, performing arts, interactivity