Talinz and the Arts 2: Dance, Literature and Art

The second part of this series is going to examine the role and achievements of Talinz units in 3 more major areas of the arts, to explore the cultural impact of these robots on society.

Dance

Dance, like music, is an area where Talinz units have had a highly significant impact. A few years ago, in Miami, a prominent ballet choreographer advertised a ‘brand new performance’ that would ‘challenge boundaries’. A number of critics attended, and what they saw was all around a fairly average performance of the Nutcracker. The ballet itself was solid, yet unremarkable, and the dancers were the technically exquisite individuals they were used to seeing with the company.

However, as the performers took their bows after the culmination of the final act, they removed their faces, revealing the Talinz units underneath. The real dancers began the standing ovation from the audience. Some others joined. Some were frustrated at the thought that they had been hoodwinked, tricked into watching robots perform under the belief they were human. Specially built modules from Texlinz, using the same technology that allows their Talinz frames to corral fish, formed an integrated, perceptive, aware dance company, capable of playing off the actions of other members with perfect timing and sharp intuition. Reviews were mixed and polarising. Some acclaimed the bravery and style of the performance, others derided the show as poorly choreographed and directed.

Since then, other choreographers have considered using Talinz in their performances, either to support prime cast members or in attempts to ‘enhance the clarity of their auteur vision’ by granting them total control. In popular music, individuals might often purchase a group of backing Talinz dancers, especially if human dancers might prove to be too much of an expense to the performer or tour manager. In many of these cases, however, the presence or existence of Talinz units in the piece is often concealed or withheld via false identities unless the choreographer is explicitly trying to emphasise ‘Talinz-ness’ as an aspect of the piece, or attempting to make a political statement. Performances that openly use such units on average receive lower ratings than those that do not.

Literature

Talinz impact in literature and poetry, however, has been notably underwhelming. Attempts have been made by Talinz authors to publish under pseudonyms, but large publishing houses employ ever more stringent background checks to ensure that these manuscripts rarely, if ever, see the light of day. Books and poetry about Talinz, or using Talinz characters, rarely challenges the status quo, and though some might explore societally taboo topics, such as the possibility of relationships between humans and Talinz, these very often find themselves either unpublished, or consigned to ‘niche’ interest regions of shops.

Rumour has it that the underground of Liberated Talinz has caused a grass roots movement of revolutionary poetry and prose by Talinz and Talinz-sympathetic authors, both from more and less extreme ends of the spectrum. Some countries have cracked down on this ‘extremist propaganda’ under state security laws, but conviction rates are low. In regions where such literature is a prosecutable offence, Talinz often employ complex cryptographic methods of disguising the art as something seemingly innocuous, such that to a human observer no offence could possibly be caused, and likely little sense made of the statement in the first place.

Art

In art, Talinz have found an interesting niche. A growing movement of life-realist artists, referring to themselves as ‘Cyber Realists’, have attempted to revive the ‘Social Realism’ movement of the early 20^th Century, focusing on the plight and oppression of Talinz units, often in contrast and comparison to the current working class. Descriptive and critical, it highlights differences in working conditions and societal treatment of these individuals, with key important pieces including depictions of Talinz gathered together in poorly constructed shed ‘dormitories’ and abandoned units wandering through poorer sections of cities, often partially broken or disabled.

Though originally formed by humans, the movement has gained traction with some liberated Talinz units taking up the brush, also. Though they often submit their work through human friends and allies to avoid the critical eye of a gallery owner, such pieces frequently bear the signature of the artist – often a serial number – imprinted somewhere on the painting or sculpture. Considering the Talinz-oriented subject matter of these pieces, serial numbers are often overlooked. In some circles, possession of the number of a known Talinz artist can greatly increase the value of the piece in comparison to those of the artist who originally submitted the work, though in others the value might drop greatly.