Die Hochzeit von Himmel und Hölle is an augmented reality performance. The title of the project is borrowed from the book of the same name by poet William Blake, conceived at a time of great political and social change due to the French Revolution. Blake’s work ironically refers to philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg’s book “Heaven and Hell,” which advocates a simplified moral structure and a Manichean view of good and evil.
The AR performance features two cartoon characters: A hippo (Rousseau’s Noble Savage) dances with a crocodile (Hobbes Leviathan). The dance of these two figures is the starting point for a reflection on our own state of nature.
Good and evil are social constructs; Hobbes and Rousseau analyzed these concepts from a rigid, black and white, dualistic perspective. Now it is up to us to rethink the gray areas they left out as we continue to perform the dance of good and evil.
Supported by the UNESCO City of Media Arts Karlsruhe Project Funding Program for Media Arts 2022.
Direct link to the media artworks here.
Part of the exhibition Media art is here (2023).
Time: 16.08.2023 – 17.09.2023
Location: universal