Understanding
Veronica Ibargüengoitia & Colin Stokes
Medium: 8 channel audio + 9600 x 1080 video
Duration: 5-7 minutes
Understanding is an agreement between two entities for an equitable exchange.
What is the agency of the object of exchange?
When humans use language to understand, and one lacks understanding, the balance shifts. One entity is disadvantaged because it doesn’t know the code and is alienated from it.
As we delve into the implications of AI-generated language, we must consider its potential to enhance human understanding. What if the code of language and understanding is AI-generated, and we as humans find ourselves at the same level of non-understanding? This scenario is at the heart of our exploration.
The Waiting Room
The Waiting Room demands an embodied response from the audience. Upon entering the performance space, attendees unknowingly become performers, believing that the photo and fingerprint process is simply part of the ticketing method. However, once inside, they are woven into the fabric of the performance itself, becoming the very "material" of the experiment.
This project explores human behavior within systems of control and classification—how individuals react when placed into roles of power, submission, or exclusion. By continuously shifting roles between audience members and performers, the work reveals the fluidity of authority and the psychological effects of bureaucracy.
Performance in collaboration with
Sarah Hamilton
Performers:
Agustin Alonso
Beige Cowell
Ben Damann
Colin Stokes
Cynthia Clyde
Nasrin Tork
Peter Mayes
PJ Mooney
Shahrzad Talebi
Shyam Shah
Tzu-Ling Hung
2025
Duration 30 minutes
Merrit Ellis Intermediate Theatre
University of North Texas
The Language Collaboration Project
