Evidence of Floods, 2000
Evidence of Floods is a diorama performance in 8 scenes. Created in a series of Toy Theaters, the audience of 8 moves through the scenes (which average about 6 minutes for each scene) to view the elliptical narrative of a woman running away from harm. Evidence of Floods draws on Film Noir for its narrative and atmosphere, and the whole story takes place in one long night. The figures are about 10" tall; housed in intricate miniature theater structures, they perform close to their audience, creating a claustrophobic intimacy, and a sense of being swallowed into a dark, nocturnal world.)
New groups of 8 enter the performance every 15 minutes, so, at any time, there might be 5 groups in the space, hearing the sounds of scenes ahead of them or behind them, anticipating future events or remembering past ones. Twelve puppeteers create the ensemble, each performing their scene over and over until the last group travels through. Chip Epsten's evocative score envelops the audience in its seamless looping sense of lost time.
