“Spores” | Harmonies and Dissonances While Mushroom-Picking with a Therapist

The musical performance “Spores” explores today's intertwining of emotional health and technology, of live and virtual support. The work's protagonist is one of many people in today's world trying to talk through her anxiety with a therapist amid an abundance of information and emotional stimuli. However, this therapist is virtual – an advisor drawing on the wisdom of artificial intelligence. Grounded in Western therapy theories, their conversations help her row through the swirling waters of everyday worries and grievances. Yet by unconditionally supporting the patient, this advisor encourages attachment and creates an artificially positive environment – like a mirror reflecting back the wishes and emotions expressed to it. Are these virtual psychotherapists an Ariadne's thread helping to find the way out of a labyrinth of gloomy thoughts and emotions, or does this thread only further tangle the knots of dependence on technology? The work is inspired by the principles of classical Greek drama, adapted to present-day reality: here the protagonist's inner transformations are accompanied by the voices of a chorus. Classical Greek tragedy, taking place today behind the doors of a psychotherapist's office or on phone screens, allows us to look at the changed relationship between the individual and the community. Is virtual care truly a sustainable escape from emotional chaos, or should we instead seek other ways of building a connection with ourselves, with others, and with the world? “Spores” is the debut performative work by the visual-art duo “Pakui Hardware”, created together with a large team of performing-arts creators. Contemporary electronic music, polyphonic sound structures performed live by a community choir, video-sculptural stage design, and movement drawing – all of this here becomes a new, performative, pulsating body grown from separate spores. Authors and directors: “Pakui Hardware” (Neringa Černiauskaitė and Ugnius Gelguda) Text authors: “Pakui Hardware” and an artificial intelligence therapist Composer Miša Skalskis Curator of vocal practices Vaidas Bartušas Co-author of solo vocal parts Justina Mykolaitytė Choreographer Andrius Katinas Set designers: “Pakui Hardware” Costume designer Morta Nakaitė Video artist Vaclovas Nevčesauskas Lighting designer Julius Kuršys Sound director Ignas Juzokas Architect Sigita Simona Paplauskaitė Dramaturgy consultant Gediminas Rimeika Featuring: Justina Mykolaitytė (protagonist), Eglė Rudokaitė (organ), the “Spores” choir – Smiltė Bagdžiūnė, Aistė Baltraitytė, Dalia Baltrušaitienė, Alexandra Bondarev, Akvilė Brazauskaitė, Vitalija Fokienė, Greta Germanavičiūtė, Laima Gric, Viktorija Jakštienė, Akvilė Jančauskaitė, Vytautas Juzėnas, Vėjūna Kaktavičienė, Danutė Kryžanauskienė, Marija Lenkaitė, Kristina Mickevičienė, Karilė Mozerytė, Daiva Petelienė, Aušrinė Rinkevičiūtė, Gabija Rostovskytė, Justė Savickienė, Raminta Šumskytė Sum, Dovilė Verikienė, Remigija Vilniūtė, Agnė Zeziulevičiūtė, Inna Zvinkli, Rugilė Žukaitė Producers: “Operomanija”, “Performa” Partners: Contemporary Art Centre, Lithuanian Culture Institute, “Iškrovos” Sponsors: Lithuanian Council for Culture, Vilnius City Municipality This musical performance was created for the NOA Vilnius Contemporary Opera Festival and for the “Lithuanian Pavilion Without Borders” program of the “Performa” performance biennial in New York.

Adresas: Vilniaus Universiteto Mažoji aula