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The ARC-funded Rebooting the Muse project grew out of a recognition that the performing arts in Australia today face challenges on multiple fronts, not the least being the devastation wrought by the Covid pandemic on live performance. 

Add to that the dizzying pace of change ushered in by AI and other digital technologies, and it’s no surprise that the arts in general are at a pivotal juncture. 

Led by the Director of the Elder Conservatorium, Professor Anna Goldsworthy, the project partners – Immersive Light and Art (ILA, formerly Light), the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, State Theatre Company of South Australia, Patch Theatre, and Illuminate Adelaide – are making vital contributions to futureproofing the performing arts. These include hosting public forums grappling with the impact of AI on creativity, and Piano Lab, Anna Goldsworthy’s two-day festival that juxtaposed the traditional piano recital format with cutting-edge immersive digital technologies. 

No less imaginative and thought-provoking is Rupture, an ambitious multimedia experimental work created by Jesse Boylan, Linda Dement, Virginia Barratt, and the Elder Conservatorium’s Luke Harrald. Informed by the work of the trauma-focused psychotherapist Jenna Tuke, Rupture has been presented in two iterations. 

Rupture: all the stars unshining premiered as part of the 2022 Liveworks Festival of Experimental Art at Carriageworks, Sydney. The work featured an inter-media installation that was punctuated by a series of live performances that blurred the line between installation and performance. 

This was followed by Rupture: at the seams, a new version developed specifically for ILA’s ‘The Lab’ in Light Square. Featuring a soundtrack composed by Harrald for an octet of musicians from the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra with surround electronics and immersive projections, it had sold out performances. 

Written by Mark Carroll, Professor at the Elder Conservatorium of Music.