A profile of Zara Ali on SWR Kultur and hr2 Kultur

In his programme »Utopia and Disruption–The Composer Zara Ali«, Dirk Wieschollek illustrates how Zara Ali, through »hybrid settings combining sound, image and movement, engages with the promises and contradictions of the digital present«.

Dirk Wieschollek’s portrait vividly illustrates how the American composer, born in 1995, eschews moral narratives in her work and instead creates »sonic spaces between utopia and disorientation«, with a particular focus on »the possibilities of artificial intelligence and its effects on our perception and communication«.

9 July 2026, 9.00 pm

SWR Kultur JetztMusik

hr2 Kultur

This work takes place in a world inspired by Robin Hanson’s The Age of EM. I adapt the model of these beings and create my own group of EMs: digital consciousness copies striving for new aesthetic heights. They share a collective consciousness and experience a hybrid digital-physical reality.

The term »Braindance« comes from the video game Cyberpunk 2077 and refers to an immersive technology that plays a brain recording of all perceptions and thoughts experienced by another person within someone’s mind. In the dystopian world of cyberpunk, Braindances are bought and often have addictive properties.

In an experimental phase, my EMs explore the connection between space, taste, and sound in order to create new experiences. They are simultaneously creators and consumers, immortal yet driven by hunger, never able to die. They don’t know why they exist, but hope that new aesthetic experiences may bring a revelation or at least the feeling of one.

For the visual design of this work, I collaborated with German graphic designer Markus Kanzler, whose concept supports the immersive experience. Additionally, photographer Blake Cecil contributed special photos of dishes from his culinary experiences, which underscore the aesthetic dimension of the work.
The piece is presented in surround sound and, in addition to the usual classical elements, includes live electronics and video.
(Zara Ali)