Artists have a long history of engaging with new technologies, particularly in the medium of performance. Perhaps the most influential event joining art and technology in the 1960s, 9 evenings: Theatre and Engineering was held in October 1966 in New York. Spearheaded by artist Robert Rauschenberg and engineer Billy Klüver, ten artists—4 visual artists, 2 dancers, and 2 musicians—collaborated with a team of engineers to create a series of live, experimental performance. The 2012 ZERO1 Biennial Performance Program uses 9 Evenings: Theatre and Engineering as a reference point to explore contemporary examples of artists exploring new technologies through live performance. The program will feature nine performances presented in collaboration with San Francisco Bay Area arts institutions that will take place over nine weekends during the ZERO1 Biennial. The full schedule will be released shortly.

In addition to the 9 Evenings performance program, the 2012 ZERO1 Biennial features a rich collection of performances taking place throughout September 12 - December 8, 2012.