Entering and exiting The Memory Place:

 

The Memory Place was a collection of site specific performances at The Edge Theatre in Chicago that explored the idea of cultural memory. We wanted to welcome people in, while holding them in a space distanced from reality.

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We created a journey into The Memory Place that took us from full spectrum light to narrow spectrum light. This journey was bookended by two yellow lights: the first yellow was from a gel’d clip light which was mixed in with daylight from the outside, giving us full spectrum light that allowed you to see all colors; the last yellow was from a low sodium vapor lamp, which emits a very narrow wavelength of light—radically shifting the appearance of all other colors, making the area appear monochromatic. As the audience travelled down the hallway, color began to exit the space as lights turned off behind them; creating a stark visual shift into The Memory Place and leaving behind a gap of darkness between our curated world and the outside world. 

 

Once the audience was out of sight, these lights were turned back on to create a barrier from the outside world. Effectively holding us in the space. This journey had the texture of a saw blade, in which one direction was easy to progress down, while the other was more abrasive; requiring concentrated effort to return back outside.