SHORT PORTRAIT BREAKING THE WAVE – The Beautiful Minds e.V.
BREAKING THE WAVE is an analogue-digital theatre performance that raises awareness of the mechanisms and dangers of social radicalisation and playfully opens up spaces for counter-speech. The audience is immersed in an immersive world in which they are not just passive observers but become active participants. AI-controlled dialogue systems enable real-time interaction in various online and offline spaces. In this setting, it is possible to conduct research into anti-democratic attitudes, recognise and understand radicalisation tendencies in the (digital) environment and actively combat them with creative means.
‘The internet opens up powerful spaces that have a lasting impact on how we live together in reality. The participatory theatre project Breaking the Wave addresses the modern society in upheaval and threatened by radicalisation. The participants practise methods of counterspeech and develop rebellious creative power against hatred in the virtual space in order to literally break waves’, says the jury.
3 Questions to…
Stefan Herrmann, Artistic Director of BREAKING THE WAVE –
The Beautiful Minds e.V.
BREAKING THE WAVE is an analogue-digital theatre performance that raises awareness of the mechanisms and dangers of social radicalisation and playfully opens up spaces for counter-speech. The audience is immersed in an immersive world in which they are not just passive observers but become active participants. AI-controlled dialogue systems enable real-time interaction in various online and offline spaces. In this setting, it is possible to conduct research into anti-democratic attitudes, recognise and understand radicalisation tendencies in the (digital) environment and actively combat them with creative means.
We will use the funding for the content and technical design of the performance – the use of customised AI and extended reality tools in particular requires an intensive development period. This is made possible by the funding, for which we are very grateful!
… that we as a society manage to remain in dialogue with each other, even when things get uncomfortable. Our wish for Germany is a productive, always respectful culture of debate without hate and agitation. We want to contribute to this in an artistic way with our project.
