DESCRIPTION:
THIS COULD BE THE LAST TIME WE ARE HERE TOGETHER

performance with rope, guitar, voice, custom electronics, amplifier, public address system

July 20, 2008
Department of Safety, Anacortes, WA
(as part of What The Heck Fest)
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In THIS COULD BE THE LAST TIME WE ARE HERE TOGETHER I staged a rock-n-roll performance that capitalized on the power of the stage/amplification apparatus and redirected its energies to the social. The lyrics of the song call on the audience to manifest "a material solution" and a "working model" and are both sung by me and voiced by a proximity-controlled speech synthesizer. During the performance Rachel Nederveld and Cypress Marrs stage an audience intervention by producing a length of rope and initiating a tug-of-war.

The audience immediately jumps in and takes sides on the rope. After the tug-of-war concludes, they begin swinging the rope, turning the impetus for competition into an invitation to participation. Audience members spontaneously organize themselves to take turns in the jump rope spotlight. The musical performance moves from the center of attention to become a backdrop to the activity in the audience. A "working model" of a "material solution" has been demonstrated.
- Al Larsen