Jennifer Walshe: PERSONHOOD (WP)

What does it mean to be a person at a time when our every moment is surveilled, mined and monetised by the devices we have extended our consciousness into?

What agency can we hope to have, when even one of the most famous pop stars in the world has no control over her own life?

What does it mean to be human when a billionaire class dreams of upgrading their existence and living forever, while the rest of us struggle with what to do with our hands when talking to a stranger at a party?

In this commissioned work by the Irish composer and vocalist Jennifer Walshe, the Oslo Sinfonietta surround the accordionist Andreas Borregaard and subject him to a range of tests and procedures.

Borregaard plays the accordion, performs obscure choreographies and watches films laden with subliminal messages; he is scored for how well he can fall over, he moves objects in endless patterns and drinks smoothies in strange colours. Are we in a laboratory? Mission control? A luxury spa? Or are we simply at home?