ArtDog Istanbul 27. Sayı
What is Man?
This month, our cover features a scene from the piece titled Man, choreographed by British choreographer and dancer James Sutherland, and performed by the Ankara Modern Dance Ensemble (Ankara MDT) within the State Opera and Ballet.
In a world tested by the climate crisis, successive wars, the winds of fascism sweeping the globe, and finally artificial intelligence, “especially in this age of artificial intelligence, what is man?” Sutherland, questioning a very valid issue, said, “Depending on time and place, when mental and physical capacities combine, an incredible force emerges that pushes us further. For example, an extraordinary force can emerge from within a mother whose child is run over by a bus, enabling her to save her child. Questions like, ‘How can she do this?’, ‘Where does this power come from?’ lead one to the answer, ‘This is what makes us human.’ This potential can take us to a completely different level where there are many possibilities. Artificial intelligence is not at this level and will never reach it. This fascinated me, and I started thinking about how I could show this in dance. That’s how I came up with the idea of ‘Human,’ and I thought it could be a wonderful dance performance. I hope that’s what you see on stage…” We recommend you read this exclusive interview where he said this.
