the machine stops – Lecture Performance by and with Johanna Wokalek and Fabian Russ

In his story The Machine Stops, which was first published in 1909, the British author E.M. Forster anticipates the Internet age – nearly 100 years before Facebook, Skype and the like. Forster’s largely unknown work is the focus of a lecture performance that has been developed exclusively for the Futurium by two internationally renowned artists. In their interpretation, stage and film actress Johanna Wokalek, and orchestrator and composer Fabian Russ transfer the story into the present, giving it new vitality. Text, voice and electronic music interweave to form a new artistic synthesis that confronts the audience with the great question of Forster’s The Machine Stops: what is the core of human life that we should preserve, even in a fully automated world?

In a discussion following the performance, Professor Dr Stefan Willer or his colleague at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin’s Department of Cultural History and Theory, Professor Dr Daniel Weidner, together with Professor Dr Reinhold Popp (futurologist at Sigmund Freud University Vienna), will be examining Forster’s text in greater detail and further explore the area of tension between human and machine. The discussion will be moderated by Miriam Janke.

The lecture performance will be held in the context of the Futurium’s Workshop Weeks that will be taking place from 30 May to 9 June 2018. We extend a cordial invitation to our visitors to get to know our work at this house of futures and to take a peek behind the scenes at the Futurium as it strides towards its launch in spring 2019. The Workshop Weeks at the Futurium have been organised under the heading “Areas of Tension. Approaching Possible Futures”. They will concern the major issues of the future, such as digitisation, civic involvement, climate protection and sustainability – always under the guiding question “How do we want to live?”.

Information for the press:

Press accreditation: If you wish to attend one of the events as a representative of the press, please seek accreditation by sending an email to public.relations@futurium.de.

Photography and Filming: Special regulations apply to photography and filming of the lecture performance. If you wish to take photographs or shoot films, please contact the Futurium’s Press and Public Relations Team in advance for further information.