A Resonance of Artistry & AI from MAXmachina: ¡Harken! by Modesto Flako Jimenez
On January 17th, I attended ¡Harken!, an interactive performance, presented by Modesto “Flako” Jimenez as part of Under the Radar’s annual Under Construction program in Tribeca. This bold collaboration between Media Art Xploration (MAX) and Onassis ONX bridges the gap between humanity and technology, interweaving the past with the present through the use of generative AI.
Collaborations like this are essential in keeping art and storytelling alive. MAX is all about supporting, building, and creating. As a hub for new media and immersive live performance art experiences, MAX works to join artists, scientists, and inventive technologists.
Initially, ¡Harken! was commissioned by Governors Island Arts for INTERVENTIONS in 2023. Eventually, the work developed and blossomed at NYTW Adelphi Residency in 2024 and at JACK Arts in February 2025. Key players in facilitating this production are Key players in facilitating this production are Media Art Xploration, Onassis ONX, and ¡Oye! Group.
¡Harken! Walks us through the life of mixed-race explorer, fur trader, and forger of new beginnings, Juan Rodriguez, as he works to amend his co-opted personal account. In 1613, Rodriguez arrived from Santa Domingo as a fur trader for the Dutch. Despite his fragmented and sometimes neglected historical narrative, Rodriguez remains an integral part of New York's past and present.
Before the performance began, the audience was tasked with a pre-show activity. First, we scan a QR code that required us to describe an island representative of us in five words. Then, we record our description using the phrase “I am.” Lastly, we select an AI-generated island that best fits our descriptions. Our voices later become a part of this multidisciplinary boundary-pushing performance.
Once everyone is seated, Jimenez introduces the audience to the amazing team of artists that makes all of this possible: Ker Chen, Megan Lang, Kay Matschullat, and Henry Pederson. It did not feel like a traditional formality, but rather a precursor to human connection and consideration.
We learned a little about the foundation of ¡Harken!, and a little about Jimenez. Since an essential part of this performance is welding a link between the audience and himself, Jimenez does a fantastic job exposing both the mechanics and breaking down the fourth wall.
The setting was a composite of significant identifiers of Rodriguez's personhood and pieces from the present. We are exposed to seal-like sound creation through unexpected items, cultural/religious memorabilia, and pieces that connect Jimenez to Rodriguez. The set was both minimalistic and powerful; rather than overwhelming the audience, it pushed the story along.
The audience is pulled back in time to the early makings of Juan Rodriguez as he carves a life for himself. Using modern colloquialisms helped me position Rodriguez’s ghost as a present-day New Yorker. Whether it is the past or present, I can picture him forging a way with only his multilingual skills and wits.
For example, scene 2, “Canal Street,” juxtaposes Rodriguez and the individuals from various cultural backgrounds working on Canal Street today. Rodriguez is a Husltler, a hard worker, and a person trying to make a living just like them. Regardless of the position in time, we as an audience can draw a connection between the past and the present. It is all around us, looking us in the face and asking to be acknowledged.
When Rodriguez’s ghost attempts to uncover more about his life through present-day technology, we see the limits of AI and how frustrating it is to have existed while pieces of your story are lost in time. It was comical watching ChatGPT struggle to provide Rodriguez with a straightforward answer. Rodriguez even took questions from the audience to help root out even the slightest piece of information. However, it would ultimately loop back to some generic response.
Through generative AI, ¡Harken! compares the European captains Rodriguez interacted with and the historian colonizers, aiming to sort out his life. The lack of soulfulness illustrated by these AI figures centers Rodriguez's identity as a mixed-race Atlantic Creole in a world built on white supremacy. When it comes to history, people tend to fixate more on the facts than the voices. Implementing AI helped to humanize Rodriguez in a way that academics forget to.
Historical storytelling, or storytelling in general, is immensely imperative, especially from a diasporic perspective. It holds the Western World accountable while also keeping the names of people who are sometimes lost in time alive. Performance like this, which keeps the story of Juan Rodriguez alive, is in itself an act of resistance.
It dares the audience to think more about the way communities of people who lived before them maneuvered through life. It urges people to shift their white-influenced lens and see the historical impact Black and Brown pioneers had on the world around them.
Hearing the audience's pre-show activity become one with the performance was profoundly moving. All our voices reflected how we truly see ourselves, instead of outside opinions we have learned to internalize. Similar to Rodriguez, how our story is told and retold matters. We should be the captains of our narrative to ensure it is handled with care. I also love that everyone walked away with a journal. We each left with a little piece of the show, which we can use to keep a record and tell our own story.
In tandem with the performance, MAX presented Collaboration as Resistance, an intimate salon-style series. The creative team engages with the audience and explores the work's overarching themes, process, and AI concerning artistic methodology.
It is exciting when artists have the space to explore different avenues and create compelling works. Overall, ¡Harken! is a well-crafted piece that encompasses a wide range of mediums whilst connecting the audience to something bigger than themselves.
