tommy needs a haircut, live performances

03/24 - currently

*collaborative project with lizwiz

live gaming performance (33 mins)

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City’s Tommy Vercetti stars in this work as a man on yet another mission, but this time, it is self-assigned. Experience the gradual awakening of his existence as he blends humour, absurdity, rage, and introspection on his journey of self/other/world-discovery. Who wouldn’t feel a bit lost, a little angry, and profoundly emotional upon realizing they are, in fact, a video game character?

wasted

A series of ongoing works centered on the world of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. This work began in March 2024 as a playful revisitation of a nostalgic game from our childhoods. We employ the protagonist, Tommy, as the actor on our stage who performs in ways that are often more sensual than originally written in the game. By doing so, we amplify the complexities of human behaviour and social dynamics within the game environment as they reflect real-world ethical dilemmas fuelled with existentialism. We are driven by Lev Manovich's notions of media remixability. By remixing not just simply aesthetics but also techniques, methods and languages of different media, we are able to create an elaborate alteration of the game world.

03/24

it's like a jungle sometimes

04 - 05/24

Performance (43:56 mins)

In this live A/V performance, we playfully attempt to relive our childhood memories of being absorbed by the world of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Through our real-time visual and aural interventions, we expose and reflect on our own exhausted and somewhat-nihilistic sense of reality. Our protagonist, Tommy is caught in loops of choices and consequences.

our collaboration

lizwiz and I brought our respective practices in audio and visuals into this project. In the project so far, she has been working with mixing audio using a DJ controller and a computer — the audio includes curated music and game sounds performed with the intention of live-soundtracking. And I am playing the game on MacOS, sending its audio out and mixing visually on a PC with graphics through OBS. We have worked closely on writing the monologue and narrative while also self-producing the performative aspects of each version.

screenshots:

full video documentation:

This work was performed as part of the first event by Earday at Punctum Krásovka on 10th March 2024. This version while quite rudimentary, ignited our interest and passion for the project and its future possibilities.

full video documentation:

preview/trailer hybrid:

NPC documentation:

poster for letní klauzury (2024 at AVU, Prague):