Indeterminacy. The murder could come first, absolutely first. Each event has happened; everything is in the past. Time is a thing, and Woyzeck has a geography rather than a temporality. Film is the perfect medium. As many projectors as there are scenes. Each scene wound onto its projector. Many screens. Randomly one scene follows another. The showing continues until the audience chooses to leave. Such a vision of Woyzeck would, I think, approach Büchner's (unconscious) intention. The work is unfinished, fragmented, not ordered with finality. Only a film can accurately project this kind of indeterminacy. How many possible permutations could 27 scenes yield?
Woyzeck himself is crushed by so many possibilities. (Schechner "Notes" 12)
Introduction
This project paper is a critical overview and companion to the installation Woyzeck. The project itself is an experiment in performance and augmented reality (AR) technology. Unlike virtual reality (VR), which uses only computer generated media, AR combines the real world with digital elements. Up to this point, AR has been most often used for military, medical, and other scientific or technical applications. While these traditional AR projects may tell a story, the narrative is generally subordinate to the technology. This project reverses those priorities and subverts traditional uses of AR to tell the story of Woyzeck, a piece with anti-military themes. AR was chosen as a storytelling method for creating Woyzeck as it enhances major aspects of the piece, such as the role of bodies and gesture in the narrative. AR also provides a way to invite the audience to enter the storyworld of Woyzeck and experience the piece with a heightened level of awareness achieved through interactivity. This installation includes not only a unique use of AR technology, but also an original English language translation and adaptation of Woyzeck, along with original music, lyrics, and choreography. Throughout this paper I will discuss major topics relating to the project, including dramaturgical background, theoretical interpretations, technology, process, and possibilities for the future.
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