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A.I. Campfire

 
Paul Fisher Cockburn Review by Paul Fisher Cockburn 3 Published: 4 Aug 2025 Venue 13 Show Dates: 1 Aug 2025-23 Aug 2025

Audiences coming for the “immersive experience” of A.I. Campfire are given a free marshmallow on a stick; alas, the flames projected onto the wall of the Harry Younger Hall (just off the Canongate) naturally lack the heat to toast them. Which is either a fundamental drawback or an ironic take on the potential limits of so-called artificial intelligence.

How varied the stories and their telling are from one performance to the next will only be clear to those attending more than once

Modestly self-described as “one of the Fringe’s first official A.I.-based shows”, A.I. Campfire is a return to humanity’s oral storytelling traditions – albeit now with an A.I. database as narrator, “born from the lost Green Men who conjure memories of Scotland’s spirits, like Selkies and Kelpies, while using a mix of software, animated classical art and film”.

How varied the stories and their telling are from one performance to the next will only be clear to those attending more than once. From this individual experience, the narrator “Symbiolene” comes across as a rather crass storyteller, all too ready to underscore the moral of “her” tale at the end. Do we really need to be told that the traditional story of a Selkie, trapped in her human form by a selfish fisherman, is an environmental allegory about the dangers of taking from the sea without giving anything back? (And there was I thinking it was "about" social captivity, independence and the resilience of women.)

That said, relaxing on beanbags in semi-darkness, surrounded by soothing music and narration, this is undoubtedly a gentle way to "come wind down" after a busy day on the Fringe.

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The Blurb:

A.I. Campfire is a dark, immersive experience led by Symbiolene, an A.I. database-turned-host born from the lost Green Men who conjures memories of Scotland’s spirits, like Selkies and Kelpies. Through haunting and vivid audiovisuals evoking tales of gentle warnings and broken covenants, audiences are enveloped in an otherworldly atmosphere where folklore turns into valuable teachings that will help preserve their bond with nature. Programmed to learn from ancient ecosystems to build a balanced future, Symbiolene interprets these tales as reminders that nature has memory, and that when the earth is pushed too far, its spirits may seek vengeance.