POLITICS OF THE GRID
Politics of the Grid
a groundbreaking new evening-length dance-theatre work by Jessica Rajko. This immersive production fuses dance, devised theatre, and digital sound/touch technologies to portray a surrealist depiction of life in an AI-mediated world.
A recipient of the 2023 Knight New Work Detroit grant, Rajko draws on her expertise at the intersection of dance and computing to create an experience that is both visceral and thought-provoking. Audiences are invited into a contained world where five individuals grapple with isolation, algorithmic control, and the illusion of communication—represented by a single red phone linked to a useless automated help line.
As the story unfolds, the performers uncover the mysterious force known only as The Grid, a chilling metaphor for the invisible systems of surveillance and control in our tech-saturated reality. The piece reflects on AI as the unseen interlocutor in human relationships, highlighting the gaps—both digital and emotional—that shape our sense of connection and disconnection.
Premiere: May 30 and 31 at 7:30 PM at the Hilberry Gateway.
“A fascinating irony... that my errors might make me seem almost human.”
Project Team
Cast: Noor Kaffarani, Emily Laird, Elijah Lennington, Mary Renko and Coco Vaughn.
Artistic Director & Sound/Haptic Design: Jessica Rajko
Scenic Design: Seth Bowen
Lighting Design: Orion Latherow
Stage Manager: Tempest Thomas and John Pierre
Assistant Stage Manager: Sofia Bailey
Set Production: Jeff Jantz
Sound Engineering: Brian Cole
Haptics Technician: John Pierre
Board Operator: Graysen Rutherford
Marketing Director: Stormy Davis
Marketing: Aria Brown
Press
Media Design
Politics of the Grid expands upon prior work to develop LOAM by integrating the system with QLab 5 and Dante. The project uses both standard subwoofers and Buttkicker LFE’s to augment audience’s haptic experience of the music, sound design, and dancer movement. The sound design and engineering for Politics of the Grid was created and directed by Jessica Rajko.
Photos by Stormy Davis