FAKE Comes to Goodwill Club at The Rechabite in Perth

Part performance, part installation, part rave: FAKE is a real-time deep-dive into alternative truths, fact checkers, AI, scams, conspiracy theories, political division and the distortions of reality that define contemporary life. Within the legendary Goodwill Club at The Rechabite, FAKE immerses you in multiple realities simultaneously. Real-time AI generation and live web scrapes from 4chan, Reddit and TikTok mix with news broadcasts, ChatGPT, audience submissions, live video and sonic aggression in a real-time snapshot of what the world is believing right now.

The project assembles an array of leading WA artists using technology's creative potential to capture and critique societal and political constructs to craft an intrinsically unique intermedia work.  FAKE is an event unlike any other,  Electronic Visual Theatre, guaranteed to be a completely new show every night.

The world is in a state of conflict at a geopolitical, national and personal level. Disputes have created confusion and vulnerability within political, economic, and social structures, resulting in the proliferation of conspiracy theories, alternative facts, widespread distrust and increasing polarisation in society. The label "Fake" is a weapon and a defence, with real-world consequences unfolding in courtrooms, elections and battlefields globally.

Artistic Director of kdmindustries, Mark Haslam said, “For me, it is vital that work responds to this situation, and in FAKE we do so in real-time, creating a genuinely new, ultra-responsive work every night.”

FAKE explores the impact of digital communication on our perception of reality and the growing contestations of truth in our interconnected world. The experience unfolds in a nightclub setting between two large video screens, as the work evolves around and with the audience.

At the heart of the space, a digital cube spits out a stream of live content: AI image generation, web scrapes, state news broadcasts, real-time audience submissions, live video and pounding beats in a snapshot of what the world is believing right now. Audiences experience the work through the screens, the performers and through their personal devices with the activation of the compressed performance space creating a sense of anticipation, confusion and exhilaration akin to the search for reality in a post-truth era.

“Society often feels to me like it's at a tipping point, with increasing levels of noise and chaos. The climate is falling apart, democracy is under threat, there's financial inequity and disempowerment. But through it all humans are still trying to find ways of connecting and communicating with each other, finding our own truths and realities. These are what I'm exploring in FAKE – finding how, in real-time, people all over the world are reaching out, trying to make an impact, and find their communities to feel safe and heard within,” Haslam said.

Choose your colour, pop your pill and enjoy the ride...Capacity is strictly limited. Secure your spot today and be a part of this mind-altering experience.

FAKE: Electronic Visual Theatre

Date & Time: 23-25 May, 7pm

Venue: Goodwill Club, The Rechabite, 224 William Street Northbridge

Features: Immersive video; Live cameras; TikTok, 4chan and Reddit scraping; Real-time generative AI.

Age: Strictly 18+

Duration: 55 minutes

Warnings: Strobing images, adult content and occasional graphic imagery.

FAKE will also be performed on 2 May at 7.30pm at  the Goodwill Club at The Rechabite as part of ISPA.

Concept, Design and Visuals: Mark Haslam

Collaborators: Solomon Thomas, Ella Hetherington, Steve Berrick and James Luscombe with Laura Boynes, Sam Fox, Joe Lui, Zendra Giraudo, Leala Brekalo, Adelina Larsson and Mararo Wangai

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