Hide to show is about being alone, but syncing with others without seeing them, about being observed by others, making yourself visible or not and about replacing yourself in many ways. The spotlights are put on the backstage area while the musicians prepare for the performance in front of the audience, each alone in their private little room. They play a few notes, change clothes or dance to the music in their headphones. Not only the movements of the musicians on stage are considered as musical material, Beil’s list of artistic ingredients now also includes their actions in the seclusion of the backstage area. But we don’t get to see everything. The musicians hide behind their costumes, curtains that go up and down and recordings of themselves, so that the real person remains invisible after all. A parallel with social media is quickly made. Hide to show is about hyperreality, how we put virtual layers on our lives, how we copy and paste into our so-called reality.
