However, the answer is not given in language but through a mystical sense of storytelling that relies on sounds and gestures: a demonstration.Īs an exhibition, The Last Question plays out an interpretation of what the narrative of the story proposes. The answer emerges at the end of history, the moment when all the energy in the universe has been deployed, and when consciousness and technology have merged into one being. “Can entropy, and specifically the depletion of sources of energy, ever be reversed?” is the fundamental question that drives the narrative. The ambitious story weaves together philosophy, trans-humanism, simulation theory, and theology. Russian-American science fiction writer Isaac Asimov’s short story The Last Question (1956) explores the fate of humanity and the universe as determined by degrees of energy expenditure. Pedro Gómez-Egaña will perform continuously during the exhibition’s opening hours*, following a score that interprets Asimov’s story. The performance also references historical practices that draw parallels between astronomy, magic and music such as can be found in the mathematician Johannes Kepler’s Harmonices Mundi (1619), or the Pythagorean Musica Universalis (6th Century BC). The installation and the performance borrow from the tradition of planetariums as sites for theatrical visualisations of phenomena that lie on the edge of comprehension. The exhibition welcomes visitors to enter an intimate space for experiencing a live music performance on an instrument built by the artist. The Last Question is an exhibition centred on a single, ongoing performance inspired by Isaac Asimov’s eponymous science fiction story. *on Saturday the 4th of February, the performance will take place from 16-17 h only. After the performance there will be a conversation between the artist Pedro Gómez-Egaña and writer, critic and lecturer Jan Verwoert. Zilberman | Berlin is pleased to invite you to the finissage of The Last Question on the 4th of February, 2023.

The last question by isaac asimov 1956