Alpha Go_Lee: Theory of Sacrifice
Open Research Day
Information
Times: 10am – 6pm (including one hour lunch break)
Tickets: FREE – booking required
This event takes place in person in our Council Chamber
Theatre director Natalia Korczakowska (STUDIO theatergallery, Warsaw) invites you to participate in the first stages of reconstructing a momentous GO match as a brand-new theatre piece.
In 2016, millions of people across the globe witnessed the historic defeat of former ‘Go’ world champion Lee Sedol (9 Dan Rank) from South Korea, by AI powered computer programme AlphaGo from Google DeepMind, London. The win signified a major shift in the sophistication of Artificial Intelligence, raising questions around humanity’s ability to retain dominance over the rapid evolution of technology.
In collaboration with a creative team of artists and specialists across the fields of Science, Tech and AI, this Open Research Day will reimagine this showdown of Human vs. Machine as a theatrical ritual, interrogating the relationship between AI, society and art.
Open Research is a strand of support for artists to explore projects creatively with a public audience as part of their making process.
Choose Dates & Book
- {{ access.name }}
The default price is our suggested price per ticket. Any amount paid over this will help us continue to make our events accessible to everyone.
No events could be found. Please try again
Loading Dates & Times...
Morning: 10am – 1pm
Conversations and Context
Joined online and in-person by experts present in Seoul, Korea at the historic ‘Go’ match in 2016, Natalia will facilitate an open discussion alongside the cast and creatives on why this moment inspired her to create a theatre piece.
Including a representative from Google DeepMind, the London-based creators of AlphaGo, the session will be focused on exploring the themes of AI vs. Humanity, AI and Capitalism and AI vs. Nature.
Speakers
Professor Chihyung Nam, Department of Baduk (GO) Studies, Myongji University, Korea, Go Expert
Professor Chihyung Jeon, KAIST, Seoul, Match Expert
(TBC) Google DeepMind, Tech Expert
Afternoon: 2pm – 6pm
Performance building
Reflecting on the conversations from the morning session, the afternoon will be focused on translating the previous discussion into staging for the production. AI Researcher from Google DeepMind Piotr Mirowski will discuss the intricacies of using AI Language models in creative practice, discussing with Natalia her process of using AI in developing scenes of the play and showcasing these.
Then, working with a choreographer, digital artist and performer, Natalia and the team will test creative tools and forms with the audience to bring potential scenes of the performance to life.
Speakers
Piotr Mirowski, AI Researcher Google DeepMind
Creatives
Choreographer: Sung Im Her
Digital Artist: Marc Da Costa
Performer: Priscilla Lee
Dancers: Cynthia Cin Yee Cheung, Sugyeong Won, Jiwon Oh
PRE EVENT INFORMATION
This event takes place in person in our Council Chamber. This space is on the first floor, with step-free access via a lift.
If you have booked a ticket you will receive an email from us before your performance detailing important information about your visit.
PERSONAL ASSISTANT/COMPANION TICKETS
If you require the assistance of a friend or helper to attend, we can make a free ticket available for your companion. You can book access companion tickets online or contact the Box Office to book by emailing access@bac.org.uk.
To book a free access companion online:
- log in to your account here
- go to ‘Other preferences’ and tick ‘I require a personal assistant/companion’.
- Choose the performance, date and seats you would like and if you add at least 2 tickets to your basket, then one of these will automatically become free.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
This performance will be Relaxed. We invite you to make yourself comfortable and move around if you need to and if you need to leave the performance at any point you will be allowed to return to the space when you feel ready.
Production Credits
Produced by STUDIO theatergallery, Warsaw. Supported by Battersea Arts Centre, Polish Institute in London, Adam Mickiewicz Institute and Google DeepMind.
Text and Direction: Natalia Korczakowska
Digital Art and Animations: Marc De Costa, Marcin Kitty Kossakowski
Choreography: Sung Im Her
Composer: Marcin Lenarczyk
Costumes and Screen Installations: Marek Adamski
Lighting and Live Video: Robert Mleczko
Producer: Monika Balińska
International Development: Anna Lewanowicz
Biographies
STUDIO theatergallery, Warsaw
STUDIO theatergallery promotes free artistic expression, encouraging dialogue between disciplines and creative communities. Its permanent ensemble operates through creative partnerships, allowing invited artists to experiment and redefine contemporary theatre. It remains a bold, socially engaged institution, fostering critical thinking and dialogue.
Natalia Korczakowska
Natalia Korczakowska’s theatre work explores how individuals lose their sense of reality and how an act of playing can offer the necessary distance to counteract this process. She views theatre as a social playground for disarming manipulative narratives and technological tools used to sustain illusions of control. Her notable productions include Solaris.Report (TR Warsaw, 2009), Berlin Alexanderplatz (STUDIO theatergallery, 2016), WITKACY/Two-headed Calf (RedCat, Los Angeles, 2019), Demons VR and Wasp Hunting (STUDIO theatergallery, 2023). Since 2016, she has been the artistic director of STUDIO theatregallery, one of Poland’s leading experimental theatre space.
Sung Im Her
As a choreographer, Sung Im has been selected for development programmes Testbeds Catalyst, Aerowaves 21, Choreodrome at The Place. She has been commissioned by Seoul Performing Arts Festival, Counterpoint Arts and Korean Arts Council, and supported by Arts Council England, Seoul Foundation of Arts and Culture, Horizon Showcase and more.
As a performer she has worked in with companies in Korea and Belgium including, Ji-Gu Dance Theatre, Les ballets C de la B, Needcompany, Abattoir Fermé, Opéra de Lille and more.
Piotr Mirowski
Piotr Mirowski is a Senior Staff Research Scientist working at Google DeepMind. His extensive work in human-centred AI has been covered in publications such as The Guardian, BBC and the Financial Times. As a Visiting Researcher and Knowledge Exchange Scholar at Goldsmiths, University of London, and regularly gives lectures on the intersection of AI and human creativity. During his theatre and improv performances (with and without robots on the stage), he investigates the use of AI for artistic human and machine-based co-creation.
Marc Da Costa
Marc Da Costa is a multimedia artist and anthropologist whose work explores the interplay between archives, technology, and lived experience. His practice examines how technical infrastructures shape our attention and sense of the world.
His work has been exhibited internationally at venues including the Venice International Film Festival, Centre Phi Montreal, Lincoln Center, the Onassis Foundation, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. He has received the Lumen Prize, SXSW Jury Prize, and Columbia University’s Digital Storytelling Award (all 2024) with his work has been covered in The New York Times and The Financial Times.
22 - 23 Apr
Burnt Toast
Susie Wang
From Norwegian experimental theatre-makers, Susie Wang. Reality and surreal horror combine to create an experience that challenges the boundaries of human nature.
25 - 26 Apr
Battersea Museum of Horrors
Homegrown Festival 2025
Wimps be warned! Only the bravest can enter this immersive audio and visual experience exploring the most gruesome parts of Battersea’s history.
25 Apr
The Definition (Work-in-Progress)
Homegrown Festival 2025
An ambitious new work-in-progress play interrogating friendship, diagnosis and queer identity.