I’m Free and That’s Why I’m Confused

I’m Free and That’s Why I’m Confused is a multimedia composition for ambisonics, video, and performer, exploring decision-making, uncertainty, and the amount of advice we encounter from people who know nothing about us.

The piece takes inspiration from social media self-help videos and the stream of advice that appears online for people trying to figure out what to do with their lives. For some, these videos can be comforting, reassuring, or inspiring; for others, they can become another source of pressure or confusion. The piece also reflects on how much of this advice we encounter simply because an algorithm has decided it might be relevant to us. Voices with American, German, and French accents address the performer with questions and increasingly insistent instructions.

The performer stands beside a vibraphone, preparing to play, but becomes increasingly unsure of what to do: which mallet to choose, which sound to make, and which action is the “right” one. The gestures are deliberately exaggerated, highlighting the absurdity of following instructions from voices that know nothing about the person they are addressing.

The work is also based on the idea that every decision creates a branching reality: when we make a choice, reality splits into parallel possibilities, of which we consciously experience only one. This is represented through video, in which different versions of the performer play different tones on the vibraphone, creating these parallel possibilities.

Performance, video, electronics and composition: Kristýna Švihálková
Prerecorded voices: Mara Hebel

April 2026, Stockholm

Video excerpt: