Artists Statement

Electronic Cabaret Performance

An audience driven interactive fiction. The 1994 televised O.J. Simpson chase provides a starting point for this cinematic artwork. Although the chase included a famous star, a plethora of media gear, and took place near the heart of American fiction (Hollywood), we didn’t see a dramatic conclusion. The program polls the audience for demographic data and political views and generates a scenario specifically tailored for its consumption. This scenario begins with the actual chase, but quickly adopts a familiar structure in which heroes and villains struggle in cliffhanger moments.

• Paul Vanouse (USA) is an electronic media artist with interests in psychoanalysis and contemporary culture. He is currently a M.F.A. candidate at Carnegie Mellon University.
• Peter Weyrauch (USA) is working toward a Ph.D. at Carnegie Mellon University entitled “Guiding Interactive Drama”.