Hordes of people who have never met in the real world swarm out on virtual treasure hunts when playing online games. In "Remote X" we're a horde of people wearing radio headphones, swarming out into the real city.

A synthetic voice in our headphones (of the kind familiar from GPS navigators or airport announcements) directs the movements of our swarm. Binaural recordings and film scores turn the cityscape into a personal film; artificial Intelligence explores unknown territories, mustering human activity from a remote perspective. And yet the voice sounds ever more human to us as we progress, while in the eyes of passers-by our remotely controlled horde starts to look like a kind of alien entity.

How are joint decisions made? Are we all hearing the same words? As 50 individuals observe each other the swarm breaks down into ever-smaller units, before re-forming as a collective in which decisions are ultimately taken individually. Might this be the beginning of a movement?

"Remote X" lays a trail through the city for this swarm of 50 people. It composes a soundtrack to streets, parking garages, churches and backyards. Each new city-specific version builds on the dramatic structure of its predecessor, writing more storylines for new sites.

"Remote X" is a production of Rimini Apparat.
In coproduction with HAU Hebbel am Ufer Berlin, Maria Matos Teatro Municipal and Goethe-Institute Portugal, Festival Theaterformen Hannover/Braunschweig, Festival d'Avignon, Zürcher Theater Spektakel, Kaserne Basel. Supported by the Capital Cultural Fund Berlin and by Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia and Fachausschuss Tanz und Theater Kanton Basel-Stadt. A House on Fire coproduction with the support of the Cultural Program of the European Union. Voices by Acapela Group.

By Stefan Kaegi

With the support of Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia

Starting point: from the gate of The Dormition of the Mother of God church on 18 Parkovaya Street

Please read the instruction first