12/06 Boston Institute of Contemporary Art
The Boston ICA moved into their brand new building on the waterfront in December 2006. sosolimited was invited to christen their new theater space with a special performance for their opening weekend parties.
Buildings and truly expensive purchases are rarely accompanied by an owner's manual or instruction booklet, so we thought we should provide one. Read Before Opening was a multi dimensional collage of VHS instructional videos bought on eBay and dug up from the backs of our friends' closets. The show moved through seven educational chapters covering topics from home electrical installation and repair, cuisinart food preparation, child rearing, computer basics, catfish catching, Swiss Ball exercise, and hair styling.
Three screens were hung diagonally above the stage, forming consecutive windows into a continuous three dimensional world of video, typography, and undulating graphics. The audience could drink, dance, and lounge onstage underneath the screens. Music was composed specially for the performance, with a song for each instructional chapter.
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