Catalogue > At random

"If You Tell Me When Your Birthday Is" is a 'lost in translation' machinima mini-drama in 3 fragments. It combines 3D scans of real objects and people, CGI worldbuilding, avataring and motion capture elements with scripted spoken dialogue based on current qualities of textual and linguistic communication with and between artificial intelligences. Using real-time computer graphics engines, the film is entirely 'shot' in a virtually created world. The three episodes thus seem like fragments of an absurd computer game, but the conflict between the analogue physical and the virtual digital world, between man and machine remains visibly inscribed here in the glitches, the errors and flaws that arise at the 'cracks' of the interfaces between the differet realms. The absurd, comical, or even uncanny inadequacies of the digital techniques used for the film emphasize these very fractures, instead of striving for complete cleanup and perfectly consumable illusionism. The dialogue is based on the current state of developments of communication with self-learning algorithms, simple, consumer-oriented so-called artificial intelligences, such as chatbots and virtual assistants and reflects on the disturbing peculiarities and differences, the shortcomings, but also the similarities of this kind of communication with that from human to human.

For several years now, Stefan Panhans and Andrea Winkler have increasingly been working together in the sense of Expanded Cinema on filmic projects, sculptural/performative installations and exhibitions. In their works they mainly use cinematic, performative and installative means including text to deal with the increasing hypermediatization and digitalization and their effects on our society, our behavior, our psyche and body, as well as the phenomenon of self-optimization in the form of a practically artistic research. In addition, their works negotiate moments of increasing social inequality, everyday racism, celebrity cult, and gender stereotypes. Their work has been shown in numerous exhibitions and festivals, and many times awarded, e.g. Edith Russ Haus Media Art Award 2017, honorable mention videonale 17, 2019, the innogy visit award for their anti-musical »Defender«, 2019, and the research fellowship at the academy for theater and digitality, Dortmund, 2020. Recent exhibitions include the opening performance combining video with installation and staccato reading, comissioned by transmediale, HKW–Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, 2019; the expanded cinema installation »Freeroam A Rebours Mod.I.1 – installation version« at Tabakalera–International Centre for Contemporary Culture, 2020; Upcoming is their solo show at HMKV–HartWare MedienKunstverein Dortmund early summer 2021