Parallel Play Notes
This Installation is inspired the idea that all people live in the same world, but due to our individual circumstances, we have a very different perspective of this world. The Installation is a bit of a sensory overload with many colors. lights, moving pictures, sound and light barriers, and an amazing composition by Wesley Unruh.
The audience walks through the installation at whatever pace and in whatever direction they choose, taking as long as they like. The audience has different colors in their eyes and on their bodies, they move between instrumentalists at different times. There are moments when a wall is between them and one of the performers and they will not hear that instrument or a specific part in the music. Someone might spend more time in one place than another. The idea is that everyone will walk through the same even but have a completely different perspective of the experience.
Color influences mood and emotion in all people and cultures differently along with having varied value to the human experience. Music is a universal phenomenon, not a universal language; thus, influential towards mood, behavior, and emotion inconsistently across cultures and people. With the audience inevitably experiencing variants of color and sound, there is yet another variable that will lead to inconsistent perspective.
‘Parallel Play’ is a term used in early childhood development when children are learning how to play together. Before they play with each other, they play adjacent to one another. They are interested in what each other are doing, but not influencing one another’s play. Just as children are learning to play, many of us live in the world with acknowledgment of one another, but do not consider contracting perspective and lack empathy and appreciation for other in a way that would help us to play better together.
Parallel Play has existed in a few locations and each time it has been slightly different. The space in which the installation takes place plays a large role the overall function and set up. Each rendition of Parallel Play has been accompanied by more projectors, more mirrors, different walls, new musicians/instruments, and changing protocols. The very first show was during the Covid Pandemic, and masks were required as well as breaks between runs to give the room time to air out. This led to time slots and a beginning and an ending to the piece. At the HERO convention we tried two continuous sessions with a break in the middle. These sessions were three hours long and the piece and video were looped. There were things that these two versions taught me and now I prefer to have a loop with an obvious start and end. The first installation required research, planning, and some sort of result as it was a special project for my degree. At the end of the show I had the audience members write down on a poster board what it was they noticed most to prove how inconsistent the experience was for each person.
This installation loves to be performed! It works well in many spaces, and it only requires a big set up team. I have been super lucky to have amazing friends help me set up and tear down each time. If you are interested in a Parallel Play showing please reach out!