Babel-o-drome is a multimedia and multilingual audience participatory event presented by collectif BUS 1.2.3. in collaboration with the Element choir (Toronto).
The site-specific interactive performance looks at the following question: in today's globalized media chaos, in a world where fiction and reality (real and virtual) collide with "alternative facts" and "fake news", what is our own reality ... how do we define ourselves when confronted with commercial and political propaganda that tells us what to believe?
Combining poetry, humour and fantasy, this show tackles the question in a series of scenes combining dialogue, visuals, live music and audience participation. Large-scale video projections and live music make it a unique and intriguing show that can inspire the imagination of audiences of all ages.
The performance is in the form of a journey, a procession along a path, travelling with the public from one scene to another, It follows characters who are sometimes humourous, sometimes mythical, and who while in search of their identity, live through multiple technological and linguistic challenges: collective narcissism, fake family portraits, problems of communication and senseless games. When they finally reach their destination along with the public, they rediscover their true nature, free of all media artifice: a return to their essence.
This piece is inspired by Argentinian author Jorge Luis Borges' short story "Library of Babel". We feel it's important because it continues the dialogue about the immigrant experience shifting between cultures, and explores the complexities of language, communication and identity.
