FΛRSΛ

illusion — ambiguity — deception — dysmorphia

FΛRSΛ is a scenic creation inspired in the system of Plato's Allegory of the Cave.
The research explores the concepts of perception, deceit and transmission and is organized around games of optical illusion, sound deception, and physical dysmorphia.

FΛRSΛ reflects on the manipulation of information and its impact on shaping both individual and collective perception of reality.
The approach emphasizes how a narrative is framed by the observer, dismantling the notion of a “singular truth" and exploring how facts can be shaped and reinterpreted depending on the perspective.

What are contemporary farsas?
Farsas are not merely theatrical exaggerations — they are real situations and systems where appearances conceal deep contradictions and manipulated information is used to fabricate ideals. Some examples include:
— Cases where institutions that promote moral or ethical values, such as the Catholic Church, have been involved in covering up widespread sexual abuse of children, revealing a deep contradiction between their teachings and their internal practices.
— The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for leaders like Netanyahu and Putin, that were never effectively enforced by the Court’s own States Parties.
— Companies like Meta or Google claim to protect user privacy while profiting from massive data extraction and behavioural profiling. The illusion of informed consent, buried in legal language.

FΛRSΛ explores how disinformation and oversimplification — good vs. bad, true vs. false — have been shaping our political realities, our empathy and even our sense of identity.
What happens to the human body in a time when it can be faked, copied, augmented — when voices are synthetic and images are illusions? Where does trust go and what is left of reality?
Are we in the midst of a new moment to imagine, extend and reconfigure what it means to exist?

CHOREOGRAPHIC EXPLORATION OF ORALITY
Deception often relies not only on visual illusions but also on the manipulation of sound and language, which shape how we perceive, communicate, and understand facts, situations, emotions.
Along the process of creation performers will focus on vocal projection through ululating, hocketing, and rhythmic vocalizations.
These techniques serve as tools of dissonance and connection, a choice that highlights and explores the expressive potential of the human voice, both within and beyond structured language, stripping away layers of conventional meaning.
Miranda has since 2019 been developing these questions with COBRACORAL project, a vocal trio dedicated to the development of polyphonic intricate hocketing, organized around a common rhythmic pulse.

MACHINIC SYSTEM
The Scenic space is inspired on the Pepper's Ghost principle (cover’s image), a device of transparency and reflection, popularized by the Theatres of Horror in London and Paris during the Victorian Era (late 19th century and early 20th century), and that laid the foundation for contemporary holography.
Making use of the performative dimensions of gesture and sound within a cinematic scenic dramaturgy, FΛRSΛ explores the ambiguity of perception, transforming the stage into a machine-system capable of evoking and stimulating psycho-sensory experiences.
This investigation into sensory manipulation and altered realities echoes the surreal, visceral transformations present in Miranda's previous works, such as CABRAQIMERA (2021), where hybrid bodies challenge conventional perceptions of identity and gravity, and ΛƬSUMOЯI (2024), which explores phantasmagoric landscapes and apotropaic movement.
As in those pieces, FΛRSΛ explores the functional limits of the human brain and sensory system, emphasizing that perception is fluid and ever-changing, rather than fixed or absolute, continuing Miranda’s investigation into liminal states and perceptual ambiguity.

PARTNERS
This project is produced by RÁRA (PT) and coproduced by Teatro Municipal of Porto (PT), OOPSA (PT), 23 Milhas (PT) and Pôle—Sud (FR).
By invitation of Teatro Municipal of Porto, FΛRSΛ integrates the Dance Network Grand Luxe during 2024-25, where the project will be developed along a set of European residencies: Grand Studio (Brussels, BE), L’Abri (Geneve, CH), Pôle-Sud (Strasbourg, FR), CCN — Ballet de L’Opéra National du Rhin (Strasbourg, FR), Maison TROIS C-L (Luxembourg), Theatre Freiburg (DE).
It is also supported by BORABORA Residency Center (DN), Espaço do Tempo (Montemor-o-Velho/ PT), Estúdios Vitor Cordón (Lisboa/PT), with creation residencies.

CREATION PROCESS
Residencies – GrandLuxe Network
— 1st–12th July 2024 — GrandStudio, Brussels, BE
— 4th–17th November 2024 — L'Abri, Geneva, CH
— 21st–27th November 2024 — Pôle-Sud, Strasbourg, FR
— 28th November–5th December 2024 — Opéra du Rhin, Strasbourg, FR
— 12th–23rd May 2025 — Theatre Freiburg, DE
— 25th June–8th July 2025 — Trois C-L, Luxembourg, LU
Other Residencies
— 3rd–15th March 2025 — Technical Residency at Espaço do Tempo, Montemor-o-Novo, PT
— 31st October–7th November 2025 — Estúdios Victor Córdon, Lisbon, PT
— 17th–21st November 2025 — Teatro Campo Alegre, Porto, PT
— 8th–19th December 2025 — Technical Residency at Bora Bora, Aarhus, DK
— 18th–27th February 2026 — Technical Residency at 23 Milhas, Ílhavo, PT
— 23rd March–2nd April 2026 — Technical Residency at Teatro Campo Alegre, Porto, PT

DIFFUSION — Inês Le Gué/ Jardin&Cour — www.jardincour.com
Contact — ineslegue@jardincour.com

MOODBOARD

HOLOGRAMS, EFFECTS AND CORPOREITIES
Visual References: Tony Ourseler, Koel Coen, Robert Wurn, Magritte, Mala Voadora Company, Marx Ernst, Genesis P-Orridge & Lady Jane (Pandrogyne), Vlad Melanholychniy, Putin’s deepfake, Trump’s deepfake.

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Visual References: Ana Maria Hefele, Science Vids, Peppers’ Ghost Print, A.A.Murakami, Aya Atoui & Anthony Sahyoun, Museum of Visual Effects Brussels, Tony Ourseler, Joshua Ellingson, Nonhuman Nonsense & Caterina Cacciatori (Haunted Waters), Olafur Eliasson, Bagdelete.