goTriad.com

At noon on Sunday in Winston-Salem a couple will break up in public.

Over and over again.

This is not a reality TV show. It's public art.

Specifically, it's part of SECCA's "Inside Out: Artists in the Community II" series ---- a public art program displaying the work of individual artists across the city.

This month, the series will feature the work of Greensboro-based artist Lee Walton, who creates public theater out of simple events. Throughout May, Walton will present "Small Plots," featuring various actors performing a scenario at appointed times and places around Winston-Salem.

A couple will break up at Old Salem.

Old friends will reunite.

And a man will simply try to move a heavy box.

Walton calls this type of public art "Life/Theater." He says the idea came from just watching people. He began staging these simple scenes in public places in New York City about five years ago. Some of the audience is there because they know something is about to happen. Other people are just passing by.

When Walton first tried this, he said the audience wasn't sure who the actors were. As a result, the entire street corner became part of the act.

"The people watching didn't know who was real and who wasn't real, so everyone walking by became really interesting," Walton said. "The audience was really intensely aware of everything as potential theater."

Walton, who grew up in San Francisco and now teaches design and printmaking at UNCG, based some of the scenes on what the actors bring to rehearsal. One of his actors for the SECCA series was having a tough time with the video game "World of Warcraft." The video game then became the reason for the couple's breakup.

However, if someone in the audience chooses to participate, then the entire scene could change. The couple could possibly stay together. The audience's perspective could also change based on where they view the scene. Walton likens it to being in the gallery at a golf tournament.

"I really like that part because everyone's experience is different, and I like these to work the same way," he said.

For SECCA, the series is a way to reach out to the community even as the contemporary art museum itself is closed. It's scheduled to re-open next year. Steven Matijcio, SECCA's curator of contemporary art, says "Inside Out" redefines "public art."

"When most people think about public art they are thinking about monuments. We wanted to go in another direction with this entire series," he said.

He calls "Small Plots" a "moment of curiosity" that, unlike conventional theater, has an element of the unexpected.

Walton hopes that the audience comes away from "Small Plots" with a greater appreciation for the little moments of drama in everyday life. In his work, Walton says the line between life and theater is blurred.

"It's that gray area where you're not really sure who's acting," he said. "Everything becomes theatre and everything is life."

Newsletter

Learn More

topCars

featured ads

TriadMarketplace.com