Emanat & Jan Rozman

Wetware

#co-produced projects

2025

Pan-Adria

This production includes theatrical haze, strobe-like lighting effects and occasional bright flashes of light.

In a stage show that combines stand-up, Elon Musk and the psychopolitics of Byung-Chul Han, Jan Rozman, like many other men in crisis, embarks on a journey of self-discovery. In his latest work, Rozman asks himself the question: What is it in me that never makes me feel enough? Will he manage to stop the buzzing he feels in his own body in time, or will the next time he switches on the screen, the unstoppable plunge into the black hole of thinking about the impossibility of (bodily) autonomy begin again? Jan Rozman’s performance Wetware questions the autonomy of bodies in surveillance capitalism through a choreographic intervention in a stand-up format.

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The surveillance devices we have voluntarily opted for – our smart devices – track our every move, voice, glance and touch. The algorithms that power them have become better at fulfilling our supposed desires than we are. But at the same time, they also fulfil our greatest fears. Technology is a total institution that we carry within us. Psychopolitical reward and control systems are reflected in somatic processes in tissues, organs, the body and not least in the artist’s performance.

In Wetware, which describes a biological computer based on outdated terms for hardware and software, Rozman puts the relationship between “can” and “must” up for discussion. A loop that leads us to ever more, ever better. He uses humour as one of the most important means of exposing new totalitarianisms and imagines the body as a billion smart devices. These must work together in harmony in order to function effectively. But under the constant electrochemical flow of consumer desires, this body may be less free and in more trouble than it seems at first glance.

Metod Zupan

Wetware was the selected production of the Pan-Adria network for the 2025/26 season. Pan-Adria is a unique regional network for contemporary dance, initiated by En–Knap, bringing together seven dance institutions from Croatia, Slovenia and Italy. As the only network of its kind in the region, it provides selected dance artists with comprehensive support in the development and production of new works, while creating opportunities for their connection and circulation across the region. During the current season, the project has been presented at the other partner venues.

bio

Jan Rozman studied contemporary dance in Ljubljana, Amsterdam (SNDO, AhK), and Berlin (SODA, HZT, UdK). He has created several works, including O (die shOw), (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻ screamage, THINGS THING, and Thinging, presented at festivals in Ljubljana, Berlin, and beyond (Théâtre de la Ville, Judson Church Theatre, etc.). In 2019, he received the Ksenja Hribar Award for promising choreographers and the danceWEB scholarship at Impulstanz. He has held residencies at the Mediterranean Dance Centre, FELD Theatre (Berlin), and O Espaço do Tempo (Portugal). His solo Thinging won the 10th Gibanica main prize (2021), and THINGS THING, created with Julia Keren Turbahn, earned multiple international awards.

credits

Artistic direction, choreography, performance Jan Rozman

Text Metod Zupan, Jan Rozman

Dramaturgy Jaka Smerkolj Simoneti

Video, laser Miha Možina

Costume design Andrej Vrhovnik

Set design Dan Pikalo

Light design Aljaž Zaletel

Music Veronika Černe

Graphic design Gregor Kocjančič

Executive producer Luka T. Zagoričnik

Production Emanat

Co-production Cankarjev dom, Pan-Adria

Jan Rozman's Wetware is the selected production of the Pan-Adria Net-work in the 2025/26 season.

Supported by: City of Ljubljana, Ministry of Culture RS