The name of The Mechanical Animal Corporation suggests the company are fundamentally interested in considering the human being from an evolutionary perspective, and in this particular ‘bio-theatre experiment’ they explore connections between art, genetics and human violence. As it is, the piece holds the potential to provoke much post-show reflection on the implications of the material explored, but there is scope to develop the forms employed to create a more engaging live experience.
It begins with a video presentation rendered in impressive computer graphics that introduces the scientific theme, although the audio quality of some of the recorded interviews means it is difficult to easily follow the information. Simultaneously, projected on both sides of the ceiling are two images of an Impressionist/Romantic painting, which we later discover is an example of art that positively effects our ‘MOA-A’ gene. This is explained to us by the solo speaker/performer, who presents himself as a member of ‘Darwin Futures’, an institution staffed by both scientists and artists working collaboratively to explore how the creation and reception of art might affect us genetically. Playing the part of a fictional lecturer giving a lecture in the here-and-now is a tricky thing to pull off, especially to an audience of only five people, and the naturalistic style isn’t entirely convincing. There was a tension to the speaker’s movements that I assume was a feature of the performer rather than the character, although I can imagine to a larger and more enthusiastic crowd it might play out quite differently. On the few occasions when it slips into a more overtly clowning style, such as when our ‘scientist’ makes amusing attempts to create some art, the performer seems to have found a register he more enjoys. This also gives him something to do, rather than just stand and talk.
As the piece develops, real science is connected with the description of presumably fictional experiments through which moonlight is digitally captured and utilised in the creation of ‘tranquilising’ forms of art. Wondering how much of this was actually real distracted my attention from the stream of fairly complex technical ideas presented, and there were some leaps in thought that I didn’t quite keep up with. The premise that human evolution in the ancestral environment has bequeathed us with a genetic inheritance not necessarily to our benefit is a fascinating theme for a show and hopefully this piece will continue to develop such that these important ideas are more effectively shared.