Is a copy that is more perfect than the original ‘real’? 4-hour play ‘Roscoe’

“The world we live in no longer allows us to distinguish between physical and digital reality. In this strange mixture of these two realms, we seek to bring the complexities of the human condition to the stage.”

Polish director Ukasz Tvarkowski's play 'Rosko', which is attracting attention from the European theater world, will premiere in Korea at the LG Signature Hall at LG Arts Center in Seoul from the 13th to the 15th.

At a meeting held at LG Arts Center Seoul Lounge M on the 11th, director Tvarkovsky said, "After presenting the small-scale work 'The Employees' at last year's Seoul International Performing Arts Festival (SPAF), I am very happy to introduce the large-scale 'Roscoe' produced four years ago."

The work is based on the Mark Rothko forgery incident that shook the art world. This is an actual incident in which a Rothko work sold by New York's prestigious Knodler Gallery in 2004 was discovered to be a forgery by an unknown artist about seven years later.

Regarding the process of conceiving the work, Tvarkovsky said, "I received a request for a new work from an Irish theater in Latvia, and while looking for a connection to the place, I came to mind Mark Rothko, a native of Daugaupils, Latvia."

Tvarkovsky was inspired by philosopher Byung-cheol Han's book 'Shanzhai: Deconstructing the Chinese' along with the actual incident that served as the motif, and overlaid an Eastern perspective that views cloning as new creation and transformation rather than simple imitation or destruction.

By using a Chinese restaurant in New York as the main background instead of an art museum, the theme of 'replication' was expanded to include spatial characteristics.

Regarding the setting of a Chinese restaurant, he commented, "All Chinese restaurants in the world are copying each other, replicating the same menu and (red) lanterns without being tied to a specific location."

This part contains the director's intention to break away from the Western hierarchy in which the original has absolute power and question the authenticity of art in a space where copying is freely allowed.

Tvarkovsky asked, "In the actual paintings that Rothko left behind, the colors of the pigments have faded over time and they have become distant from the artistic effect the artist originally intended. If so, wouldn't a perfect copy reproduced with the artist's intended effect be closer to the 'real thing' than the faded original that has lost its original time, space and intention?"

He went on to explain, “(This topic) breaks away from European thinking centered on physical entities or fixed originals, and is in line with the values ​​of the digital age, where the ideas and concepts contained therein are expressed in various ways.”

This performance attracts attention with its directing method that moves back and forth between the stage and the screen. The actors' performances on a huge set reminiscent of a movie set will be broadcast in real time on a large screen through live cameras.

Regarding the use of video media, Tvarkovsky explained, "Visual art and digital media are a natural reflection of the way we live our daily lives with cell phones every day. When live action on stage and cinematic images are combined, a magical tension is created where the fiction on the screen sometimes seems more real than the actual acting."

He emphasized, “However, no matter how advanced technology is, it cannot replace human contact and realism, so the value of living performing arts will become more precious.” Regarding the camera frame on stage, he added, “The magical moment of video is that it gives us the idea that what may exist outside the frame.”

He also mentioned the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology and the blurring of the boundaries between real and fake.

Tvarkovsky emphasized, “As AI is developing at such a rapid pace, the risk of being overflowing with fake information is increasing,” and added, “As an artist, I have to find the truth in symbolic values ​​and inner life that have no physical substance.”

This work is also characterized by a long running time of approximately 4 hours (including breaks).

Tvarkovsky explained, "I didn't intend to make it long from the beginning, but new stories and scenes were expanded during the rehearsal process. This is a process of inviting the audience into a 'dream-like world' and allowing their senses to fully permeate."

He also said, “Rather than forcing a specific interpretation or correct answer, the significance of this work is that the audience directly experiences and interacts with the different paradigms and contradictions that collide on stage.”