Contact, is an interactive performance installation, directed by Krista DeNio, in an effort to create a dialogue space in which veterans of war and civilians can engage with one another in conversation based in what we have in common and what we don’t.

A collaboration with Matt Mitchell’s 100 Faces of War Experience , [100FacesOfWarExperience.org], Contact is performed by a mixed ensemble of veterans (portrayed in the 100 Faces project) and civilian performers.  The performers reveal potent experiences shared in the project statements — fixed moments in time, during the Iraq & Afghanistan wars.  The action weaves together the ensemble’s personal experiences & testimonies through performance moments;  choreographic explorations based in personal movement styles and Suzuki Theater technique; and the live winding vocals and guitar of Patrick Mack, with additional music and sound by Susan Oetgen.

We ask ourselves: what do we want from one another; what do we need? How do we see each other?  How much do we share in common, and what separates us? How do we each relate to war— then and now.  Audience interaction is intentionally designed as a pathway through specific territories in the space, directing audience relationship with the action.   The installation is spatially informed by the large gallery archways, brick walls, and the intention to create a reverent space for interaction.  An evolving investigation, this is the first draft of this performance installation.  We look forward to learning more with our audiences, about which structures best create space for audience engagement with the portraits and the live humans.  

This project is a model in the making, for the use of multiple communities.