A woman wearing glasses. A glitch manipulation effect is distorting the image.

AU.X Screenworks Decipher by Junior Major

  • Theatre
  • Cinema
  • Experimental
  • Poetry
  • Studio
  • Run time: 45 minutes Subject to change

Decipher is a live experimental new work by Junior Major exploring the dissonance between human expression and machine surveillance. Using a bespoke audio-visual system, the work attempts to decode a poet’s live performance in real time. Because language models struggle to parse spoken word, the hungry machine goes further... mining biometric data, camera feeds, heatmaps, and heart rates to classify and understand the work. In response, the artists use their craft to actively confuse the algorithm's predictions. By exposing the behind-the-scenes mechanics of automated classification, Decipher turns the poet into an agent of disruption. The performance ends with a critical choice: do we surrender the extracted data to the machine, or do we destroy it?

Presented by Sydney Opera House and Junior Major in collaboration with The Poetry Company

Event details

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Attending this event

Practical information about this event, ticketing and visiting. If you have questions or need help, see our general terms and conditions for tickets and events or contact us.

Ticket information

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Plan your visit

Address

Sydney Opera House
Bennelong Point
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia

Getting to the venue

The Opera House is a 7-10 minute walk from Circular Quay, and is easily accessible by car, train, ferry, lightrail, bus, bike and on foot.

Location and access

Studio

The Studio is located in the north-western corner of Sydney Opera House, best accessed through the Western Foyers.

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