Instead of trying to produce a programme to simulate the adult mind, why not rather try to produce one which simulates the child’s? If this were then subjected to an appropriate course of education one would obtain the adult brain.

We cannot expect to nd a good child machine at the first attempt. One must experiment with teaching one such machine and see how well it learns. One can then try another and see if it is better or worse. There is an obvious connection between this process and evolution. . . . One may hope, however, that this process will be more expeditious than evolution. The survival of the ttest is a slow method for measuring advantages. The experimenter, by the exercise of intelligence, should be able to speed it up. Equally important is the fact that he is not restricted to random mutations. If he can trace a cause for some weakness he can probably think of the kind of mutation which will improve it. – Alan Turring, Computing Machinery and Intelligence

Superposition is a scenic essay for two performers.

Two figures moving through space: the wandering X (Jakub Gottwald) and the interspace ◊ (Jindřiška Křivánková) represent a double spiral of symbol and sign. They represent two existing forms that are constantly in opposition, they are counterpoints to each other, for which there is no precise explanation.

Superposition is everywhere around us. The whole world is in superposition. The world is a sprawling network of mutually interconnected material and immaterial things. Most of the time, we see, perceive and interact with the surface which provides but a small window into this network. However it is that which is under the surface that affects our lives the most. Therein hide all the cultural axioms which we never question and on which everything is built.

Superposition tells us to look under the surface and to start playing with its wiring. Because if everything is connected – gender roles, biology and culture, the human and its technology – then even a small input can have wide‐ranging impacts. For those who are not afraid to venture into the complex underground system which connects the territories of culture, biology and technology, the very concept of what it means to be human is accessible, open and up for grabs. – Jakub A. Ferenc

Direction, text Aleš Čermák Dramaturgy Ewa Zembok Sound design Michal Cáb Light design Jaro Repka Performers Fig. [◊] Jindřiška Křivánková Fig. [X] Jakub Gottwald Documetation Dita Havránková

Website: Superposition

External resources:

In 2019, a publication called The Twin Ship Tao, which includes an updated version of the text that served as a theme for a scenic consideration of Superposition, was published. The book can be purchased through the Kosmas distribution network.

Superposition was created with the support of the X10 Theatre in 2018.