Immersive Igloo
Thurdsay night, I dragged Charlie to one of the fringier
shows of the Rochester Fringe Festival – 3D Sound Experience in the Immersive Igloo. It was a variety of spatial soundscapes presented
through eight speakers which surrounded the audience, who were seated on the “floor”
(fairly comfortable seats on the otherwise parking lot…).
The new-age-y electronic music began as pulses of sound
around the igloo in phases, then seemed to synch up, and then the music took
off. I found the sonority very relaxing, almost hypnotic, and I could feel the
music as well as hear it and “watch” it bounce around the igloo. Charlie,
however, was restless and hot (there were about 50 people in the enclosed space
that lacked any ventilation…).
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| Tom Montagliano |
The artist, Tom Montagliano, encouraged people to “let
the sound waves just wash over you,” (which I did), and “close your eyes and
let your mind wander, escape from the world, immerse yourself in the journey.”
I couldn’t close my eyes – I was too mesmerized by the randomly changing colors
of the igloo – soft white, to soft purples and greens and blues, then reds and
yellows and more vibrant blues and greens, and back to the softer colors.
But many did, and it looked like at least one person
fell asleep. I found the experience very meditative – focusing on the music and
light allowed me to ignore the harsh realities of Harvey and Irma and Donald for
an hour.
Plasticiens Volants
I was determined to make it to the free outdoor show
this year. Undaunted by Charlie’s reaction to the igloo, I lured him downtown
Friday night to see Plasticiens Volantsin BIG BANG on Parcel 5 (thankfully,
he enjoyed it so much he said I’d redeemed myself…). We invited a friend whom
we ran into at dinner on Goodman Street to join us, and when we arrived at the “park”
(please, can we start calling it a park and maybe it’ll become one?!) after a
nice walk, we ran into another friend, one of my fellow Rocappella singers!
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| one of the many artists |
The show started slowly, with projections on one of the
inflatables, and narration about the big bang. But then it got weird and
wonderful and wacky – all sorts of inflatables started emerging and dancing
over the crowd (and it was truly crowded – could there have been over 1000
people there? Was anyone counting?). Everyone was laughing and taking pictures
and having an absolutely joyous time. At one point, in racing after one of the
handlers for a photo, I randomly ran into another friend – a fellow Geva
trustee.
I asked a woman standing next to me (who initially
mistook the sperm for jellyfish…) where she was from, and she answered Wyoming,
New York. Yes, she had traveled almost an hour to join in the fun, and she
commented that “if you can’t find something to do in Rochester, it’s your own fault.”
There was such an energetic vibe in this space that
could be, should be a park, not another hulking apartment building, and
certainly not a subsidized theatre for one specific organization. The energy
continued on our walk back to Goodman Street – people were out everywhere,
walking on our usually deserted streets.  |
| the place was packed! |
The Fringe Festival not only brings curious
entertainment to downtown, but it shows us the potential of Rochester to have a downtown. Sadly, both open gathering
spots we visited are destined by our unimaginative city planners to become private
buildings at some point.
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| yes, sperm... |
I have two more shows on my agenda (without Charlie) – The Polite Abductress (a short operetta
by the late Doug Lowry) in the Cabaret Hall of the Lyric Theatre, and Merged V (co-choreographed by my friend
Jim Hansen) in the Fielding Stage at Geva. These will seem tame in comparison!
The Immersive
Igloo appears to be sold out, but Saturday night will be another perfect
evening for the Plasticiens at Parcel 5, so go if you’re free! For the full
calendar of Fringe events, visit:
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