In SPOTSHOTBEUYS, the artist Silke Grabinger shares the stage with robot dog „Spot”. With the performance by Joseph Beuys „I Like America and America Likes Me”, this artistic work questions the current relationship between human beings and technology. The dog is no longer, as it was for Beuys, a symbol of primal nature, but rather the result of the most advanced culture to date—yet our relationship with it is similar.
After its premiere at the Venice Biennale in 2024 and guest performances in Austria and Germany, this work can now be seen in Berlin. Inspired by the three days and three nights that Beuys was locked up with a coyote in a New York gallery, the performance questions dog and human being in their independence and in their roles: who poses a risk, who controls whom and who can or must be tamed by whom?
Concept, choreography, performance: Silke Grabinger
Rehearsal direction, production management: Gergely Dudás-Simó
Dramaturgy: Ludwig Fehlhofer, Silke Grabinger
Costume design: Bianca Fladerer
Light design: Max Windisch-Spoerk
Outside Eye: Michael Eickhoff, Michael Stolhofer
Production team: Marie Scholze
Marketing, PR: Julia Lehner
Company Management: Marlene Lentner
Video: Karol Kensy
Genre: Performance with a robot dog
Duration: 120 minutes
Language: Non-spoken
Information About Accessibility: You can find information about the physical accessibility of the performance venue here. The performance contains theatrical haze, stroboscopic lighting effects, nudity and loud music. Chairs, beanbag chairs and cushions are available for seating. The audience can change its seats during the performance and can leave the auditorium at any time in order to take a break. The theater’s bar in the lobby will be open during the entire course of the evening.
A collaboration between Silke Grabinger, Zirkus des Wissens and Johannes Kepler Universität Linz.
Funded by: Stadt Linz, Land Oberösterreich, BMKOES
With the kind support of the Samariterbund Linz
The festival performance is funded by the tour subsidy program of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Housing, Arts, Culture, Media, and Sport.
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IN FRAME OF:
Theater der Dinge 2025
Autonomous Objects
31.10.-5.11.2025
International Festival of Contemporary Puppet and Object Theater
Autonomy was reserved for human beings for a very long time: only someone who had a consciousness and could independently make decisions was deemed to be self-determined and autonomous. After some species of animals were first initially determined to have autonomy, the term has now also been expanded to objects in recenty years: the digital transformation has created things and systems that demonstrate a certain degree of self-management and flexibility. They fulfill tasks and make a choice, they learn and develop themselves. In doing so, of course, is not a matter of actual agency: human programming decisions continue to be central factors of influence. In its 2025 edition, Theater der Dinge questions where human beings and their social systems are located in a world where things increasingly seem to be able to act autonomously. Proceeding from very diverse forms of theater with puppets, robots and objects, the participating artists develop a wide variety of points of access in their contents. 18 productions, installations, tryouts and workshops invite the audience to playful give themselves over to the exciting field of digital autonomy.
Accessibility.
Information regarding the accessibility of the individual events can be found in the information for the respective production. We are offering two guided tours with audio description of the installation “What Humanity Taught Us.”
Funded by
Hauptstadtkulturfonds
Supported by
Flanders State of the Art / Bundesministerium Wohnen, Kunst, Kultur, Medien, Sport (BMWKS) / Institut Francais + Franz. Ministerium für Kultur / Förderverein der Schaubude Berlin
collaborative partners
TATWERK / DOCK ART / Heinrich-Böll-Bibliothek / Hochschule für Schauspielkunst Ernst Busch / Spiel & Objekt/ KompleXX
media partners
Berliner Fenster / Radioeins / taz / The Berliner / tipBerlin
ticket partners
Reservix
