Final Thoughts on Invasion

The Invasion was an extraordinary event - one I am extremely proud to have been a part of.  It feels as if forty or fifty people all collaborated on one huge, multimedia piece.  The effect of video/images that were created individually being shown or projected at the same time in the same room was amazing - they suddenly began to relate to each other in fascinating ways - Lindsay's animal trudging through the snow next to Edan's "deturned" army recruitment commercials evoked questions about what it means to be a  human being in a time of war, the subjective way in which we perceive ourselves, etc.
I was lucky enough to have my piece displayed in three ways - projected, screened on the flatscreen, and earlier some people saw it online.  Interestingly, I think it was most effective when read on the smaller screen - the computer screen offered the reader the opportunity to immerse him/herself in a way that the public viewing did not.  The piece, I think, did in fact function as a kind of book, in that respect, which was part of what I was exploring.
On the other hand, I played the video piece that Erin, Tara and I made projected in two places on the the wall.  I wasn't planning on showing that, but when I realized that there would be nothing in that corner when the text project wasn't happening, I remembered that I had that video.  I think it played really well projected - probably in large part because of its reliance on visuals over text and its movement - the dancers choreography and the fast cutting propels the piece forward.  The viewer is engaged in this kind of video in a very different way then she/he is engaged in my Narrative piece.
The texting project was even more successful than any of us imagined - I think it was an engaging performance.  The experience of dealing with our initial tech difficulties was an important experience to have for all of us, I think.  As we continue on working in live multimedia performance - and I think many of us will - we will inevitably have to deal with this stuff all the time.  Experience helps one stay calm while the spotlight is on her/him.  I'm glad, frankly, that we had some glitches for that reason.
And, regarding the text project, I feel that we produced a fascinating piece of conceptual writing.  We are constantly surrounded by text - it is literally in the air around us everywhere.  Like the surrealists, who experimented with placing seemingly unrelated pieces of text next to each other to see what kind of meaning would be evoked, we took the text that is in the air around us and found the poetry in its relation to itself.
Take for instance these lines:
"i want you to beg for my cock kiss you all over to convice me philosophy is not a theory but an activity"
"my mother's driving skills were beyond outstantastic for a truely religious man nothing is tragic "
"leninist oprah blending of you are wrong I’m bone "
"i look like a female impersonator you are pure illusion you do not exist"
"you better take what i give you of croaking you wearing a red sweater and black pants the guy open it! but a million flowers lol I know  "
That's just a few of what I think are really amazing, accidental lines.
All in all, I'm entirely thrilled to have been a part of this art show.  I am thrilled by potential.