18 June 2020

Austrian culture festival 'steirischer herbst' presents this year's format and content under the title 'Paranoia TV'

Yesterday, Austrian culture festival 'steirischer herbst' (24 September - 18 October) presented this year's curatorial concept with the title 'Paranoia TV' which was created under the direction of Ekaterina Degot as answer to our times, currently dominated by a 'new normal' lifestyle under restrictions due to the threat of the pandemic. The concept calculates in its form as event series and TV-format a possible future lockdown respectively new restrictions caused by a second wave or an increase of Covid-19 cases which could mean that scheduled performances had to be broadcasted exclusively without physically attending audiences or a limited amount of guests at the event locations in Graz and other Styrian regions, as well in regard to its content, the concept incorporates the fear of people getting the disease as well as other anxieties which existed already before the pandemic and root in a sort of 'paranoia' caused by not rationally understandable or comprehensible dangers which are swept to the surface of our consciousness once again clearly and got with the coronavirus a new stage.

"Clearly, the virus is not to blame for xenophobia, racism masked as a hygienic norm, ubiquitous surveillance, or radical inequality. These phenomena were all part of what was considered “normal.” It is this “normal” that brought us the virus. It is this “normal” that we should fear." is stated at the introduction at the website www.paranoia-tv.com with the incarnation of legendary Sigmund Freud (avatar played by Austrian actor Rupert Lehofer, transformed with deepfake technology) who explains with an often more and rarely less suffering undertone the festival's intention (in English and Deutsch). It's announced that the steirischer herbst '20 calendar will be published at the end of August.

Image: 'Paranoia TV' sujet of the Austrian in Graz, Styria headquartered culture festival 'steirischer herbst', 24 September - 18 October 2020. The sujet is designed by Grupa Ee which created also the TV studio where actor Rupert Lehofer transformed by the deepfake team Tobias Wüstefeld, Marc Pantenburg, Vincenz Neuhaus to Sigmund Freud introduces into the festival 2020 at www.paranoia-tv.com (fast checked today on 18 June 2020).