Interspecies Families

A Cross-Species Performance Series About the Future of Life

“Interspecies Families”, a “technovela about the fantastic life of an earthworm-human-AI-family” is a 10-part performance series by the Brachland Ensemble at the Deutsches Museum Nürnberg / Zukunftsmuseum, taking place once a month, rehearsed and updated. Link to the performance dates.

Premiere: February 27th at 7 PM

“Interspecies Families” is a performance format that combines entertainment, pop culture, occasional eccentricity, as well as critical and philosophical reflections. Through a somewhat wild mix of theater, dance, and performance, and in interaction with the audience, it explores current topics related to the relationship between technology, humans, animals, and the plant world.

At the heart of this “soap” is the “Interspecies Family,” a cross-species family consisting of two humans, ChatGPT, ten earthworms, and several live plants. The term “Interspecies Families” has so far been used in the context of human-pet relationships, describing connections where family members care for one another. For these performances, the term is expanded and redefined to include technology as its own species. In this quirky setting, all family members meet as equals with the shared goal of living together on this planet: from moving into the Zukunftsmuseum’s geodesic tiny house to visiting the humanoid robot aunt Ameca, taking a family trip into virtual reality, and eventually transitioning to earth and humus through the family’s own earthworms.

Who benefits most from whom, and whose needs matter the most?

Directors Gunnar Seidel and Alexandra Rauh approach the subject both physically and abstractly, as well as textually and intellectually. The performances feature fast-paced dialogues, seemingly banal and humorous family scenes, live conversations with ChatGPT, and show elements.

Each evening varies and remains partly improvised, permanently in beta, never complete, always questioning and searching. Every performance focuses on a specific current topic, such as trust in AI, the future of food, or aging and life in later years. Additionally, every evening features a live expert via video conference, and the audience is charmingly integrated through polls, spontaneous interviews, or as neighbors of the “Interspecies Family.”

Info

Concept, Direction and Choreography: Gunnar Seidel, Alexandra Rauh
With: Sarah Plattner, Ludger Lamers
Set and Costume Design: Johanna Deffner
Production: Julia Opitz
Network: Dominik Breuer
Graphics and Layout: Felix Kramer
Photos: Gunnar Seidel, Lukas Pürmayr
Scientific Consultation: FAU-Nürnberg-Erlangen, Hochschule für Musik Nürnberg
Supported by: Verband Freie Darstellende Künste Bayern e.V.

More Information and Performances

In cooperation with: Deutsches Museum