‘Ab-sol-utely incredible!’ The blockbuster ballet that says Pandora’s box unleashed AI

She was the first woman, according to myth, and she let loose all the evils and sorrows of humanity. But Aszure Barton thinks Pandora’s had a bad rap – and she’s using dance to reimagine her tale

Aszure Barton is taking herself back to the creation of Mere Mortals, remembering the creative buzz of the studio at San Francisco Ballet. “Sam was fiddling around making magic in one corner,” she says – that’s Sam Shepherd, AKA electronic musician Floating Points, who plays live in the show. Digital art duo Hamill Industries were there too, designing visuals for giant LED screens. “I was in a corner with the dancers,” says Barton. “Principals and apprentices, everyone working together. It was a really shared experience, which I loved.” In fact, it’s a “curiosity for real collaboration” that drives the Canadian-American choreographer. “If it was just about me,” she says, “the work wouldn’t be as powerful.”

Mere Mortals, which opened in San Francisco in 2024, is finally getting a European premiere, at this year’s Edinburgh international festival. While Barton’s memories of making the show are all about human connection, the subject matter is quite the opposite: artificial intelligence. It’s inspired by the myth of Pandora’s box, but instead of a box unleashing the evils and sorrows of humanity, it is reimagined as a cautionary tale about AI.