At the thought of how far the human genus has evolved to our present day, the most diverse emotions, from pride to skepticism, may lead to the question of how far the development can progress. In the eyes of posthumanists, biologically, mankind has already reached the pinnacle of its evolution, and the further development of intelligent life is determined by artificial intelligence. But such a prognosis also treats the era of humans in a future age and is for the time being only speculation.

In her dance piece GAIA, Liliana Barros uses this moment of future openness aesthetically and designs a vision of posthuman beings. At any time, she imagines the emergence of a new species.

Originating from Greek mythology, the title and name of the Goddess of the Earth GAIA serves as a reference to nature and to the primordial. Even a black mountain as the only stage element acts as a reminder of planet Earth, of the organic foundation that has always been there for thousands of years. In his blackness, he seems almost exhausted, as if he had survived too much change and withstood many influences. But a metallic shine gives the panorama a futuristic touch at the same time.

The atmosphere of a new beginning reigns in seemingly endless vastness: individual beings, different in their specific corporeality, explore an awakening landscape in which everything starts to move and re-forms. Gradually, individuals develop awareness of each other and join together in a group until they function as a large organism, as a unit. As such, they struggle through space, defending themselves against external adversity and striving together on and on. Like an infinite becoming, a continuous development from former chaos to always order.

The abstract stylized body language alternates between animal, the creaturally arrested movements of a time before Homo sapiens and those that correspond to an idea of bodies after humanity. In these shades between originality and the avant-garde, GAIA surrounds an aura of mystery and leaves the viewer plenty of room for their own associations.

Ina  Brütting

© Christian Kleiner