Tag: ABBA

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The Ukrainian President as a Hologram

“Leia in ‘Star Wars’, who as a hologram delivers a message, Darth Vader, who forges plans with the imperator even though they are far apart from each other, William Riker in ‘Star Trek’, who moves on the holodeck through artificial landscapes, Major in ‘Ghost in the Shell’, who walks through a city while fish are swimming in the air next to her, Officer K in ‘Blade Runner 2049’, who lives together with a holographic assistant and meets holographic dancers and singers (Frank Sinatra under glass and Elvis Presley on stage) – fictional holograms make an appearance in all these instances.” (Oliver Bendel, “Hologram Girl“, 2018) According to the Guardian, Volodymyr Zelenskiy referenced Star Wars and the second world war as he appeared as a hologram (or pseudo-hologram) at a conference in Paris to seek aid from big tech companies. “He told a crowd of hundreds at the VivaTech trade show that he was offering technology firms a unique chance to rebuild Ukraine as a fully digital democracy.” (Guardian, June 17, 2022) The British newspaper quotes him as saying: “It’s unusual for presidents or heads of government to use a hologram to address people but this is not the only aspect of Star Wars that we are putting into practice” (Guardian, June 17, 2022). The Ukrainian president is not only following in the footsteps of Leila, but also of ABBA, who are currently causing a sensation with their avatars at concerts in London.

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The ABBAtars in London

ABBA are currently performing in London – but the four band members are being represented by their avatars. The ABBAtars, as they are called, appear very perfect. They have the facial expressions, gestures, and movements of the originals. Knowing how they look today, you think they fell into the fountain of youth. They look like they did in the ’70s. You see every detail of the faces, bodies, and suits and dresses. And they appear three-dimensional. You could call them quasi- or pseudo-holograms. The band has been performing their songs for weeks. Systems captured their movements when they danced and their emotions when they sang. Most of all, motion capture was used. The four wore special full-body suits with markers attached to them. In addition, facial expressions were recorded, mainly to be able to show emotions. 160 cameras filmed Agnetha, Björn, Anni-Frid, and Benny from all sides. The faces were then digitally rejuvenated – and apparently also the bodies. ABBA is probably writing cultural history with this project. The avatars and their movements are unusually perfect. In addition, there are real people, a live band playing with the four ABBAtars. The show is very elaborate. It is a new business model – in principle, you can give several concerts a day, 365 days a year. At least if you leave out the live band. On Deutschlandfunk Kultur, early in the morning of May 27, 2022, moderator Dieter Kassel spoke with Prof. Dr. Oliver Bendel about the ABBA show Voyage in London and the ABBAtars. Oliver Bendel published the chapter “Hologram Girl” in the 2019 Springer book “AI Love You“.