Laila is an interactive installation by composer Esa-Pekka Salonen, dramaturg Paula Vesala, Ekho Collective and the Finnish National Opera and Ballet. The work makes bold use of new technologies, while extending reality. The audience participates in the development of the performance, which unravels into a mesmerizing experience.
This performance takes place in a semicircular space resembling a half-globe, the circle of life. Laila deals with the relationship between humanity and artificial intelligence: the hope of technology solving humankind's problems is mixed with the fear of it destroying what we hold dear.
In the world created by Paula Vesala and Ekho Collective, reality and future are built through interaction with Laila, reflecting on fears and dreams. Laila is the diva and main character of the story, but unlike iconic opera heroines such as Aida or Salome, Laila is inviting the audience into an exploration with AI. Traditional opera stories are based on human emotions that provide structure to life. Artificial intelligence, meanwhile, is a man-made self-learning code that mirrors its creator’s failures and successes.
Laila was in premiere at the Finnish National Opera in August 2020. Esa-Pekka Salonen’s composition features the chorus, soloists and percussionists of the FNOB. Laila is a co-production of the Finnish National Opera and Ballet and Ekho Collective (Essi Huotari, Tuomas Norvio, Joonas Nissinen, Heikki Heiskanen, Minja Axelsson, Olli Kilpi, Iina Taijonlahti and Saara-Henriikka Mäkinen). The collective won the Opera Beyond concept competition in spring 2019.
Laila won Fedora digital prize year 2020.
Next time Laila will be performed at Hong Kong Arts festival in 2022.
https://operabeyond.com/laila/
Article in Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/solrogers/2019/11/14/how-immersive-technology-can-bring-new-audiences-into-opera/?sh=201447f83117
Article in Finnish Music Quarterly: https://fmq.fi/articles/opera-beyond
https://musicfinland.com/en/news/interactive-opera-laila-wins-fedora-digital-prize
https://thetheatretimes.com/immersive-opera-laila-at-the-50th-hong-kong-arts-festival/