The Agents had a constant presence. The seemed to be everywhere at once. They reminded us of an ambiguous “constant threat”, and spoke in urgent tones, always careful to be painfully polite, thanking us for our cooperation as they herded us from one space to the next. “Why do the questions never change? Why are you asking yourself the same questions? What is your purpose? Where do you want to end up? Why do you think you are different than them? Why is it always about you? “Am I different?” Two women and a man stand imposingly over another man, who is seated. The seated man holds his head in his hands and is having a monologue with himself, asking questions about himself, his purpose. The questions are influenced by the barking interrogation of the three standing above him, one holding a harsh light over him. The seated man is dressed as a young professional, while the three who relentlessly question him, interrupting each other, creating confusion, creating a heightened sense of anxiety in the man. The evening built up to this point quickly, as Agents dressed in black, wearing dark sunglasses and earbuds ominously in place walked hurriedly and confidently throughout the gallery space, snapping instructions at guests, informing us that we must “clear the area” and “move along” but without telling us why. And no one asked why. Some of us knew what was transpiring that night at the Missoula Art Museum, others did not, but the feeling of fear and intimidation was very real. The interrogation lasted only a few minutes before the crowd was dispersed and the Agents cleared the gallery space again. They reconvened in the lobby of the gallery. One began reciting the First Amendment very loudly, while others whistled Yankee Doodle Dandy over top of his commanding voice. It all felt very Brave New World or 1984. Immediately after all of the heaviness and orchestrated confusion, the sunglasses came off, the red clown noses appeared, and the gathered were invited into a performance of Peace, Joy and Celebration. A strip of cloth descended from the ceiling, and the crowd was invited to “grab on”, as we were led, by members of the OFA, into the performance space. The performance space was warm and welcoming, featuring a backdrop created by Jonathan Marquis and Adelaide Every, The Fabric of Our Lives, an abstract quilt of assembled fabric gathered from the Missoula community. Pennies on the Ground – song and improvised structure by Catlin Hill “no window open, no lamp lit, no light switch, no ladder up no rug down, no pans laughin, no kettles cryin, no pennies on the ground” Heidi Junkersfield opened the performance by teaching us how to sing these words together, binding us as an impromptu micro-community within the larger community of Missoula for the evening’s performance. We sang these lines together in almost a chant before Jill Beauchesne performed a poem accompanied by Hill on violin and Nathan Zavalney on guitar while Anya Cloud played off of Beauchense’ words in a beautiful interpretive dance. The piece, Red Hawk on the Power Line, used familiar geographic imagery from Missoula’s North Side neighborhood to convey a sense of place and loneliness in the individual mind. I think. Sometimes I don’t “get” poetry, but I like the feel of it anyway. Dakini Mind – conceived by Junkersfield and Penelope Baquero “You are not balanced enough!” One woman shouts at the other. They are two halves of the individual self, battling it out for us to see. One, recites a litany of intentions that hold no weight because they are not backed up with action. Intentions of change, of becoming a better person, of wanting to be good in the struggle of daily life. It’s a familiar internal struggle that many of us have, and can lead to depression or redemption. We are eternally at odds with ourselves, and the two women in the spotlight shine a harsh light on our internal struggles by acting it out for us. But there are glimpses of harmony within this dissonance, as they danced together, embracing each other tenderly, before violently pushing each other away. The piece was an “exploration of three feminine mystical beings — Kali, Pachamama and Dakini” that included enough humor to allow the viewer to acknowledge seeing himself within the piece and encourage him to keep up the fight, to not give up. Dakini Mind finishes with Junkersfield running in place, talking out loud, trying to convince herself that she has it together, that she is strong. And then Baquero delivers the punchline: “I’m strong and I’m not even running.”
The Manual – collaborative piece created by the male members of OFA The Magician is introduced to us, and is a cocky, confident young man. He is shown, by our colorful host, Mark Morante, the true path to manhood is Rock and Roll, and is deluded by the images projected onto the screen that this is his True Destiny. As the lights come up, and the images fade, he discovers a guitar in his hands. He begins to play it, writes a quick song, and the loud music kicks in. He Rawks Out. He keeps Rawking Out, until he is revealed to be a sham by a playful clown who shows him that the microphone into which he is “singing” is unplugged. The Lover, then, is brainwashed into believing that in order to be a Man he must regal the women with his tenderness, virility and charm. He chooses a woman at random from the crowd and begins to dance with her to Prince’s “Purple Rain”, but is ultimately distracted by the appearance of a mirror, which he takes, dropping the woman, dancing with his own reflection. The Warrior then comes to the stage and watches propaganda on the screen which convinces him that to be a Real Man, he must Make The Ultimate Sacrifice and become a Soldier. The clowns return, this time somberly, carrying his dead body from the stage. Finally, The Politician arrives, eager, hopeful and self-assured. After he is shown images on the screen of “great leaders”, he stands up and begins schmoozing and pumping the hands of his devoted, but, then, sadly, begins accepting graft from the Clown Lobbyists and he too is led from the stage. So what is the answer? How can one be a True Man? Peace. The screen flickers images of peaceful protests, anti-war messages as a beautiful cover of John Lennon’s Imagine plays. (Anyone who was there know who sang this?) All of the OFA are now on the stage dancing together, with recognizable elements from Tai Chi and yoga infused into the dance. The OpenField Artists is an Interdisciplinary art collective which uses dance, theater, spoken word, music, video and visual art to explore themes such as Myth, Cultural Identity, and Consumption. Through experimentation, improvisation and the presentation of original works, they create experiences that involve the public in a variety of ways. OFA: Post a comment
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