I got a U (ungraded) for ‘O’ Level Physics and failed my Maths four times. My attempts to defeat these numerical frailties via exams, evening classes and persistent application continued into my early twenties. For decades, I believed that STEM subjects were my Achilles heel and leaned into the Humanities with avant garde enthusiasm. In retrospect, this mix of avoidance and failure was fuelled by uninspiring teachers and shame-based anxiety. My life could have taken a different turn entirely if my early education had been blessed with a teacher like Vivien Puppa Kocsis.
Can You See Me? is a pop-science seminar which serves as a cool mix of entertainment and education. Is it a stretch to define such an event as ‘theatre’? Probably. However, this show was staged as part of the Camden Fringe, where the blurring of boundaries and a cavalier approach to genre are essential to its winning formula. I expected a fun, fact-packed lecture, not a theatrical spectacle. That’s exactly what was served to a lively, sell-out audience at the Museum of Comedy.
Vivien Puppa Kocsis is Harvard-educated scientist and applied mathematician originally from Hungary. Her research focuses on the intersection of AI and human behaviour (motivation, creativity, overcoming adversity) and AI for environmental and space sciences (satellites, oceans). As a rabid AI sceptic, I’d be interested to hear her perspective on the environmental impacts of data centres and the ongoing absence of meaningful regulation on the industry. That’s a whole other shitshow.
The World Premiere of Can You See Me? was concerned with the limits and faultlines of human perception. Kocsis used slides, projections and self-deprecating humour to remind us that for all the dimensions and angles that we CAN see, there’s a massive heap of reality that’s we CAN’T.
If you are an ageing, colour blind geezer who wears trifocals and a wonky toupee, can your perception of the world be trusted? Kocsis didn’t ask that question, but she told us about an occasion when she feared her own shadow despite scientific credentials and extensive marine knowledge. She hallucinated a stingray and fled from it in fear. As a data driven aqua boffin, she should have known better. That’s the point. Even the most qualified person in the room can be blind to reality. As narcissistic humans, we need reminding that our vision is limited. Blinkered and emotional, our perceptions can be swayed by dangerous fantasy and biological stress responses. There is no such thing as a reliable narrator.
Kocsis showed us how mosquitos view life in infrared. They perceive our warm blood as a temperature-based target. Mosquitoes have two eyes which are compounded into hundreds of little eye lenses, but they can’t read book or watch Netflix. And yet they can ruin a holiday or kill us with malaria. Kocsis dazzled the audience with bioluminescent plankton in a glass of water. She used a scene from The Beach starring Leonardo DiCaprio to illustrate the glittery organisms in their natural habitat. Kocsis had spent the previous week helping the live imported plankton recover from jetlag. She told us of waking up at 5am daily, to fling open the curtains so the little, glowing immigrants could adjust to UK light and life. This blew my mind.
Kocsis ended the seminar with some Ancient Greek philosophy from Plato who created the Allegory of the Cave in Republic over two centuries ago. His metaphorical observation was that in spite of our convictions, we are unlikely to be viewing the bigger picture, and unable to know all the component parts of existence.
This was a fascinating hour and Kocsis is great company. It could have been slicker, a little less Ted Talk and a bit more performative, but that might be unfair. Considering this was the first time she had performed the show, I have no doubt it will evolve and flourish. I hope so. In a climate of anti-science stupidity and ‘alternative facts’, Vivien Puppa Kocsis is a fighter on the front line.
Reviewer: Stewart Who?
Reviewed: 9th August 2026
North West End UK / Theatre Muse UK Rating:
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