"Enheduanna - A Manifesto of Falling" (2015)

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Polina Zioga and the Digital Design Studio (renamed School of Simulation and Visualisation) of the Glasgow School of Art present Enheduanna – A Manifesto of Falling, a new innovative performance, with actress Anastasia Katsinavaki, and composer Minas Borboudakis, awarded with the NEON Organization 2014-2015 Grant for Performance Production.

This international production is the result of Polina Zioga’s doctoral research on brain-computer interfaces that provide the brain with a non-muscular channel for communicating with the external world. The real-time brain-activity of a performer and the audience controls the live audio-visual projections and the atmosphere of the theatrical stage, which functions as an allegory of the social stage.

The performance explores the life and work of Enheduanna (ca. 2285-2250 B.C.E.), an Akkadian Princess, the first documented High Priestess of the deity of the Moon Nanna in the city of Ur (present-day Iraq), who is regarded as possibly the first known author and poet in the history of human civilisation, regardless of gender.

In her most known work, ‘The Exaltation of Inanna’, Enheduanna describes the political conditions under which she was removed from high office and sent into exile. She speaks about the ‘city’, power, crisis, falling, and the need for rehabilitation. Her poetry is used as a starting point for a conversation with the work of contemporary writers that investigate the notions of citizenry, personal and social illness, within the present-day international, social and political context of democracy.

The project has been realised in the GSA Digital Design Studio, in collaboration with the School of Psychology of the University of Glasgow, the School of Art, Design and Architecture of the University of Huddersfield, and with the support of the NEON Organization, CCA, MyndPlay and the GSA Students’ Association.

Performed in English, Greek, and French with English supertitles.

Awards and Presentations
- World Premiere: CCA: Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow, UK, Thu 30 - Fri 31 July 2015.
- NEON Organization: 2014-2015 Grant for Performance Production.

Publications and Outputs

- Zioga, P. (2019) 'From Neurocinematics to Live Brain-Computer Cinema: Audience Research, Co-Authorship and Film Form'.
- Zioga, P. (2019) Culture Crossover: Interactive Filmmaking Lab adds immersion to movies. Interview with Polina Zioga. Interviewed by T. Macaulay for TechWorld, 27 September.
- Zioga, P. (2018) Live Brain-Computer Cinema Performance.
- Zioga, P. and Schwartz, D. (2018) Will mind-controlled films change cinema? Chips with Everything podcast. Interviewed by Jordan Erica Webber and produced by Danielle Stephens for The Guardian, 27 July.
- Zioga, P. (2018) New research shows how brain-computer interaction is changing cinema.
- Zioga, P., Pollick, F., Ma, M., Chapman, P. and Stefanov, K. (2018) ‘Enheduanna – A Manifesto of Falling’ Live Brain-Computer Cinema Performance: Performer and Audience Participation, Cognition and Emotional Engagement Using Multi-Brain BCI Interaction.
- Zioga, P., Chapman, P., Ma, M. and Pollick, F. (2016) Enheduanna – A Manifesto of Falling: first demonstration of a Live Brain-Computer Cinema Performance with multi-brain BCI interaction for one performer and two audience members.
- Zioga, P., Chapman, P., Ma, M. and Pollick, F. (2015) A Hypothesis of Brain-to-Brain Coupling in Interactive New Media Art and Games Using Brain-Computer Interfaces.
- Zioga, P., Chapman, P., Ma, M., and Pollick, F. (2014) A Wireless Future: performance art, interaction and the brain-computer interfaces.

Documentation
- CCA Glasgow 30-31 July 2015: Performances | Backstage | Preview
- Behind the scenes: Production & Rehearsals | Pre-production

Credits

Polina Zioga Production | Directing | Brain-Computer Interface | Live Visuals
Anastasia Katsinavaki Texts | Theatrical Performance
Minas Borboudakis Music Composition | Sound Design | Live Electronics
Dr. Paul Chapman Research Supervision
Prof. Minhua Eunice Ma Research Supervision
Prof. Frank Pollick Research Supervision
Eleni Onasoglou Direction of Photography
Alexander Horowitz Max MSP Jitter Programming
Ines Bento Coelho Choreography
Ioli Michalopoulou Costumes Design & Creation
Bruce Robertson Software Engineering
Hanan Makki Graphic Design
Alison Ballantine Finance Management
Brian McGeough Business Development Management

Jessica Evelyn Argo Brain-Computer Interface Technical Assistance
Jack McCombe Video Documentation
Alexandra Gabrielle Video Documentation
Catherine M. Weir Photo Documentation
Shannon Bolen Sound Recording

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