About Project

A contemporary folk arts project for the internet age by a team of leading digital creatives.

The Ancient Lion and Modern Man: A 21st-Century Folk Performance is a whole new way to create and view the performing arts. The project was launched in 2020 by GRINDER-MAN, which has pursued possibilities for performance with technology since the 1990s, in collaboration with the design studio WOW and game development studio Rhino Studios.

Against a backdrop of the various kinds of content, from crypto art with NFTs to fashion and pop culture, that now offer new value as digital assets, this project is exploring the potential of online formats for performance.

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has forced art to harness the internet to reach audiences. But this project goes beyond simply filming a performance and streaming it online: it takes on the challenge of pioneering the next step in the performing arts, one that truly engages with what streaming and on-demand viewing can achieve.

Aiming to create performance as a new form of digital culture, this project seeks out a style where physical expression’s tangible power meets the visual effects unique to video. This intersection of the real and virtual invites you to try the viewing experience of the future.