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- Title
ABBAs Hologramm-Show Mit ‚Gestorbenem‘ leben.
- Authors
Zorn, Magdalena
- Abstract
The band ABBA made a comeback in 2022 in the form of a hologram show with digital avatars. The show, titled ABBA Voyage, features the four band members in their younger years and presents well-known hits as well as songs from the new album. The avatars were created using motion capture technology and embody an eternal present. After six years of preparation and a budget of 175 million dollars, the show was performed in a specially built arena in London. The digital avatars represent a form of incompleteness and perfection at the same time, creating a timeless hyperreality. The ABBAtars, holograms of the band ABBA, are considered future past and symbolize the death of the band members. Although they are not living artists, they still create an atmosphere of liveliness and liveness for the audience. The aesthetic concept of atmosphere describes an experience in which the separation between subject and environment disappears. This atmosphere allows concertgoers to identify with the avatars despite the absence of a reaction from them. The text deals with the idea of liveness and the use of holograms in the ABBA Voyage show. It is pointed out that the notion of liveness has changed over time and that the use of reproduction technologies has allowed for discussions of aesthetic presence and absence. The use of holograms in the show allows the audience to experience a sense of liveliness and relive past musical experiences. It is also noted that the relationship between the audience and the holograms is characterized by similarity and that reflection on this similarity leads to a search for difference. The examination of digital voices like Siri or Alexa shows that artificial intelligences are often seen as authorities. ABBA Voyage advertises knowing more about individuals than they know themselves. By responding to the imperatives of the avatars, a liveness is created outside of the atmospheric space. The digital oracle of ABBA offers reflections instead of verbal pronouncements. Posthumanist theory aims to displace the autonomous human subject and create alternative intelligences. The ecological debate calls for a comprehensive decentering of humans from themselves. Biologist and gender theorist Donna Haraway advocates for a shared life with other beings. Timothy Morton argues that music and climate change are hyperobjects that exceed the dimensions of human thought. Ecological discourses emphasize the importance of space beyond the human subject. This leads to an aporia regarding the non- and posthuman. The experience and reflection enabled by ABBA Voyage are the result of an aesthetic practice in which humans subject their virtual environment. The article deals with the hologram show of ABBA and other artists. It is noted that these digital representations are smarter than those who question them, but only because they are controlled by humans. Illustrations of the holograms of ABBA and Maria Callas are shown. Various sources addressing the topic are cited, and the text discusses how hologram show technology is changing the notion of live performances and the relationship between artists and audiences. It also addresses the ethical and philosophical questions arising from this technology. The text includes a list of sources.
- Subjects
LONDON (England); HOLOGRAPHY; VIRTUAL reality; MOTION capture (Human mechanics); MUSIC industry; AUDIENCES; AVATARS (Virtual reality); HARAWAY, Donna Jeanne 1944-; CALLAS, Maria, 1923-1977; ROCK groups; CLIMATE change
- Publication
Forum Modernes Theater, 2023, Vol 34, Issue 1, p54
- ISSN
0930-5874
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1353/fmt.2023.a908145