Last week, the NYC immersive scene got a a surprise new project—an intimate, personalized solo experience at Wildrence created in collaboration with Journey Lab. The upcoming Impression is a production whichallows a single participant at a time into the world of Syntax Industries, as the first person to test a new, experimental artificial intelligence prototype over the course of an hour.
We spoke to co-creators Alyssa Kim and Victor Carinha over email about their plans for the workshop production of this experience.
No Proscenium (NP): Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background in the immersive arts?
Alyssa Kim (AK): I joined this company called Playing with Reality almost ten (geez! ten) years ago now. It was a company that was doing this thing called “interactive” — I had no idea what that really meant at the time, I just thought it sounded cool. The company no longer exists, but being a part of it taught me a ton and also introduced me to Jeff Wirth of Interactive PlayLab and Interactive Deep Dive. Jeff became the artistic director of the company and my mentor in all things interactive and immersive. From there, I started crafting my own experiences (Rocking Dead), teaching workshops in interactive technique (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park), consulting in interactive performance (The Bad Years by Kerrigan/Lowdermilk, directed by Stephen Brackett), and found my way to Journey Lab (as Director of Interactive & Experience Design). I am also currently still working with Jeff Wirth as an Associate Producer for Interactive PlayLab.
Victor Carinha (VC): I have always been obsessed with storytelling. That dreamy Aquarian mind. As a kid, my cousins and I would adventure through the forests around my grandparents property — build huts, have adventures, wage war on the neighbors kids. We all got really into it. Fast-forward to the future, I made a shift from performance to direction and started Journey Lab back in 2014 with a great group of college friends who were all interested in what’s next. We started with a trans-locational work across three towns in New Jersey. It did well and got us in touch with Jeff Wirth — who is an incredible mentor and sensitive visionary. It was how I met Alyssa. At the same time, we were launching The Alving Estate at the Morris-Jumel Mansion which led us to experimenting internationally — in Russia.
Over the course of two years, we launched The Revenants (Moscow) and Faceless (Saint Petersburg) which continue to run strong today. These pieces put our work on the map for New European Theatre and we were lucky enough to be recognized for some awards; including The Golden Mask — which like a Russian version of a Tony.
We’re happy to be back home now. Experimenting with the vocabulary, narratives, interaction, and furthering the field in our own way.
NP: What is the Impression project about?
AK: The storyworld of Impression centers around a company called Syntax Industries and their newest prototype in artificial intelligence. The company has begun trials to test the AI and that’s where the audience comes in. Beyond that, though, Impression is ultimately about exploration of self and seeing the impression you can make reflected back at you.
VC: Exactly, and I’m afraid to expand…because it’s best when you just don’t know to make those discoveries in doing it.
NP: How does artificial intelligence (AI) play into the experience?
VC: This piece was made this in response to the Knight Foundation’s AI Ethics Initiative, a hybrid research effort and philanthropic fund that seeks to ensure that technologies deployed in a way which vindicate social values of fairness, human autonomy, and justice. It’s an incredible dialogue with some serious considerations in today’s world. So, the AI is key to the context of the production — but is not the focus of the piece. If you wanted to explore the history of this stuff in show, you absolutely can — with the psychoanalyst. We’ll go from Talos to Turning, but we’re not testing this AI for consciousness. That ship has sailed, you’re more or less responsible how this machine turns out. Quite the responsibility, eh?
AK: I’ll just add that the AI serves as a function for serious play in this experience. Exploring that we (as humans) are responsible for what we create, what we teach, and also what we learn.
NP: Why did you create this experience? What inspired you?
VC: I remember we had approached Wildrence ahead of this project about doing something together, and that space just burned into my imagination by the time Alyssa and I met with Michaela Holland. (Ed note: Michaela is an occasional contributor to NoPro.)
We had spun this conversation about AI—tech news stories, depictions in film, Westworld, conspiracy theories — we just fleshed it all out on the table. And we thought, all this fear over the concept of artificial intelligence — we made this thing. If it’s potentially destructive, it’s not the fault of the AI. Our values are inherently built in, we use what we know; but we don’t explore that very often. Each one of us as a personal statement on what this piece is, and I would call it a litmus test.
AK: I remember reading about this AI bot on Twitter that had become a foul-mouthed, bigoted, awful thing in an extremely short amount of time — all because of learned behavior on this social media platform. I was also curious how to achieve an impactful, interactive piece without the use of physical human connection. Those two things, for me, really birthed this project.
NP: How is the audience member incorporated into the work? What kinds of choices can the participants make in Impression?
AK: Fully incorporated! ALL THE CHOICES. This is a bespoke experience crafted specifically for each person.
No two experiences will be the same, as this is organically crafted based on the participant’s interaction and responses.
VC: You really make the experience, as a responsible participant. You’re not just active, you hopefully reach a point of letting your intuition guide you.
NP: How are you designing around audience agency, consent, and safety?
AK: The most important thing for me as a creator in this field is audience agency, and I think consent and safety go hand in hand with that. Although, one time during another show I created, an audience member took the fire extinguisher and sprayed it in the face of a zombie-actor. Lesson learned: there are cases where agency needs to be overlooked for the safety of actors. Or — hide the fire extinguishers (this may not be the best advice either).
At the forefront of my mind when crafting interactive experiences is always audience agency. I do this kind of work because it has the capacity to impact people: change their perspective, question their narrative, feel empowered, connect. However, it can only do these things if people are given agency — and with agency comes consent and building a safe space. No one wants to open up if they feel unsure or unsafe!
I do also want to say that I’m always very conscious of actor consent and safety as well. Actors doing this kind of work are risk-takers and magic makers and deserve all the respect.
VC: There’s a sense of us being caretakers. I think every creator wants their ‘reader’ to feel safe, if not suspended over the danger void. Explicit rules of engagement — which always tap into a common sense while being in-world. The rules of every world you could make might be different, but no matter how you dress it up — you don’t want to break the illusion for the audience member (and the artist), and being unsafe in any format would absolutely shatter that sensation.
Everyone I’ve met in this industry has heard the horror stories. I’ve seen some of them happen — but it’s a quick adjustment for everyone’s benefit. I hope artists and audiences continue to demand that quality, because only then all the beautiful risk can be explored.
NP: Who is the ideal audience member for Impression?
AK: I think anyone and everyone as long as they feel comfortable enough with being a little vulnerable. This is especially great for people who want grounded, serious play. And, if you would think an hour long one-on-one sounds like the best birthday gift ever — well, I would get someone to buy you this.
VC: Anyone who enjoys conversation can enjoy this piece. Audience is our reason for being, and their own biggest threat. With this being the first public iteration of this piece, we’re curious to see how each participant will ‘kick the tires,’ proving how far we can take this world. So if you’re interested in that serious-play, come say hi.
NP: What do you hope participants take away from the Impression experience?
VC: Jump. We won’t let you get hurt. Go with your imagination, and don’t hold back. I would hope they learn something profound (not necessarily groundbreaking) about themselves, resolve something that’s been held back, have an experience of cosmic consciousness, and enjoy it like you would a wild dance. This is one of those environments, and groups that you can trust fall. And also that they understand this is a workshop production, so like everything else — don’t take things too seriously.
AK: I would love participants to take away a little piece of self-discovery and for them to feel more empowered (in whatever way that means for them) than when they came in.
The workshop version of Impression runs at Wildrence April 17–21. Tickets are $75.
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