On May 30, the mockumentary performance “Deep Fake” will take place twice in the Prägerhalle.

“Deep Fake” combines documentary theatre with performance art and invites the audience into the controlled, almost oppressive production process of digital avatars. The stage resembles a film studio: simple props, a green screen, and reduced, cold lighting create an artificial working atmosphere. The performers follow precise instructions almost like machines. They sit motionless, speak with a controlled smile, and move in a minimalist way. This deliberately reduced physicality makes the growing alienation within the production process visible.

As the performance progresses, the boundaries between reality and fiction begin to blur. An atmosphere of increasing disorientation emerges for the audience, where proximity and distance gradually dissolve. “Deep Fake” thus explores fundamental questions of our present: How does digital technology change our perception of reality? And what happens to human connection in a system increasingly shaped by control, data, and artificial intelligence? At its core, it observes the present: despite physical proximity, it is becoming increasingly difficult for people to truly perceive one another. Communication becomes fragmented, attention dispersed, and relational experiences fragile.

The performance understands artificial intelligence not as the cause of this development, but as a mirror of existing tendencies and as an amplifier of questions that have long been embedded in society.