Cyborg rituals proposes attending a ceremony orchestrated by an AI, performed via videoconference simultaneously by two artists: Lola Rossi and Kris Hastings. This rite seeks to invoke a digital entity, through a ritual designed from an algorithm fed with data on cultural rituals from Norse mythology and 19th-century French occultism.

New types of rituals are emerging in our modern lives: guided meditation, virtual ceremonies, online spiritual retreats, digital funerals... These rituals provide important spaces for expressing community bonds and creating inclusive, activist, and fluid environments. Cyborg Rituals présente une performance de deux artistes se soumettant aux directives d’une intelligence artificielle. Les corps des artistes performants deviennent des avatars, des inputs, des corps interfaciels questionnant le contrôle que nous exerçons, ou cédons. Est-ce que nous ressentons une véritable “élévation spirituelle” ou est-ce une imitation artificielle créée par les algorithmes?

Throughout the performance, projections appear at multiple levels above the audience, resembling aggressive pop-ups reminiscent of net.art aesthetics. These intensify as the invocation of a "superior digital entity" progresses. The two artists, who have never met, aim to create and generate a new space for communication and exploration of the tensions between our emotions, intuitions, and non-human elements. The AI becomes a mediator, guide, and tool, enabling the transcendence of ancient practices to propose fluid, fragmented, and multifaceted approaches better suited to our post-modern cyborg identities.

The project was realized as part of the 2024 season of the City2City initiative, with the support of the Centre des Arts d'Enghien-les-Bains, a scene designated for Art and Creation, and the UNESCO Creative Cities network.

In collaborattion with Kris Hastings
Scenography : Vera Granger