Emerging themes:
- Being demanding on the “audience” was a feature (in form and content) of most of the performances from the last assignment and most performances we’ve done so far in general. Putting people in total darkness, hand-feeding them, having them read aloud, making them fill out forms, taking them up to high vantage points, etc. Tending towards “immersive theater” which I mentioned on the first day! But how demanding can we be with non-classmates participating?
- Childhood/nostalgia, as seen in Phoebe’s juxtapositions, Omar’s ELI5 and triptych, Madeline’s “Candysand” and “AAAAA PPPPRINCESS?”, Omar’s “Land Before Time”, David’s “Three Little Pigs” and “Toy Story”, Bailey’s “Spy Kids”, Kimmy’s “Don’t Forget Your Mission (Thanks Yonce)” and “A Summer of Sisterhood”, etc.
- Eerie atmosphere, as seen in Molly’s triptych, Bailey’s triptych, Bailey’s 5 senses, Carina’s juxtapositions and Bailey’s mask, Gabrielle’s juxtapositions, my cosmic egg (or potato as people were calling it), probably my Gnosticism triptych, etc. In general the most memorable things were either creepy or funny, or both.
Things made by me:
- “The Job Hunt of David Carter” – I think there’s a lot more to that story, and I really liked the aesthetic of the Osaka Red Light District combined with the existential dread of not being worthy of hiring. #latecapitalism
- “Descent/Ascent” – Again I like the aesthetic I came up with, combined with the performance history significance of the Demeter/Persephone/Hades myth as the initiation rite of the Eleusinian mystery cult… I sense an affinity with Bailey’s 5 senses here.
Things made by others:
- Bailey’s triptych – because of the strange experience of being 14 disembodied heads.
- Omar’s spoken word (and haiku readings) – because they were so amazingly hilarious and I want to laugh that hard again.
- Paige’s juxtapositions – because it engaged with this foundational (to Western culture) story in such an original and nuanced way.