Urban Dreams
The Urban Dream Capsule
part of Festival de Théâtre des Amériques
Stroll by the Union Street window of the Bay in downtown Montreal and you're likely to be surprised by the new display. From May 21 until June 4, the stiff, lifeless mannequins have been replaced by four brightly clad, bouncing, and bald Australians.
These men call themselves the Urban Dream Capsule. As part of the current
Festival de Théâtre des Amériques,
they've turned the display window into a
self-contained living space complete with kitchen, bunk beds, and a
shower - all in full view of the street. The toilet is blocked off behind a
partition. And no, you can't see them naked.
The Dream Capsule has already enjoyed great success in Australia and Belgium, and is on its way to London. The goal, outlined in the dream capsule web page, is to create "...an interactive experience for all involved. The thoughts, opinions, images, and beliefs of the public became the happy property of the ever-growing public. A public space is created where people become comfortable with sharing their dreams." A lofty ambition indeed. But do they succeed?
Montrealers, certainly, seem to be eating it up. For the past 10 days, the sidewalk has been jam-packed with spectators who communicate with the "art-stronauts" via phone, e-mail, hand-written signs, and just plain old-fashioned shouting. Everyone it seems is delighted to watch these fellows eat dinner, sit around, and lip-synch to Aretha Franklin. But, while this reporter was thoroughly entertained, she didn't witness any spontaneous dream-sharing.
My disappointment grew when I received the reply my e-mail interview with
capsule creator Neil Thomas. They have a lot of really warm and fuzzy
ideas, but somehow, these guys just don't seem to have a good reason for
being in there. Take this exchange, for example:
Question: The audience can contact you through mediated communication - fax, e-mail, holding signs up to the windows, etc. Do you find the limitations of media constrictive or frustrating? How do you adapt to communicating in this way?
Answer: No. The media is constricted deliberately so that people have to make an effort to communicate. We push people to experience something new. We even have second thoughts about the telephone. We are constantly pushing and pushed to find ways to reach people truly deep in their hearts and minds. Each day we discover it afresh. Each day we climb a small mountain on our way to bigger ones.
Sigh. Am I just cynical, or is performance art supposed to mean something? This installation is so full of exciting possibilities: about our attitudes as consumers, about how changes in new forms of communication are affecting our society.
Maybe we should just take these guys for what they are and enjoy it. As Thomas pointed out, "People never really get the chance to watch simple life being lived without the hype around it. We are just being ourselves as fully as we can, and I think that is what is attractive to people."
- Michelle Rainer
The Festival de Théâtre des Amériques continues to June 6. Info-Festival: 514-871-2224
The Gin Game
The Crucible at Centaur
The Beauty Queen of Leenaneat Centaur
Rhythm Activism
The Urban Dream Capsule in the window of the Bay
Having at Centaur
Very Heaven at Centaur