Maria Callas's hologram concert: ersatz simulacrum of a dead diva is weird and depressing

In the final moments of Stephen Spielberg's 2001 film AI: Artificial Intelligence, android boy David brings his "mother" Monica back to life for a single, bewildering day. People think this scene is sentimental, but it actually underlines the film's dark central point: David can never be a real boy, and the bizarre and cruel resurrection of Monica only reinforces his intrinsic inhumanity. This came to mind on Thursday night, as I snuck in late to Melbourne Symphony Orchestra's "concert in hologram" with legendary soprano Maria Callas. Callas died in 1977, and she appears here via "cutting-edge holographic technology", according to the program. The hologram – which uses projectors and motion capture technology to create a 3D image of Callas – interacts with the audience without speaking directly to us; she motions to conductor Daniel Schlosberg, who motions back. She pauses for applause even after any real applause has died off.