Saturday, July 12, 2008
Went to Pageant of the Masters today and met up with my friend Laura there.
http://www.foapom.com/site/overview_pom.asp
It is a live theater event where people act out famous paintings. It's really hard to describe so I'll show you.
Famous poster to the left being re-enacted through art and live performers below. 
So they set up a scene and then light it and it looks freakishly 2-dimensional somehow and the orchestra plays some music while you say "wouldalookatthat??" to your neighbor. I don't have a clue how the people stand still for that long. When I was getting married, I had to stand still for awhile and I swear, everything itched. My nose itched and then my shoulder itched and I couldn't scratch because, well, who wants an itchy bride? I have to think these people get cramps and itches up there.
And then every once in awhile they'll have some other aspect of live performance - like a singer to accompany the orchestra, in costume that matches the period of the picture you're looking at - so there you are looking at some renaissance painting thing and the orchestra is playing and some gal is out there dressed like Bo Peep and belting out a song about older men and younger women and you're thinking... last time I had Nyquil, I dreamed something real close to this. Only Bo Peep was my aunt in the dream.
We ran into my friends Chris and Allison and their kids. They put forth a very sound theory for the origin of this Pageant. Many years ago a bunch of very expensive-wine-drunken people were hanging around Orange County and said HEY! LET'S ACT OUT FAMOUS PAINTINGS! (being the Orange County hooligans they were) There happened to be a sober Republican among them that figured they could probably charge money for this. And hence was born a long tradition of spraypainting volunteer citizens gold and making them hold up huge lit balls for 5 minutes at a shot.
I have had a summer chock full of unique art experiences. In Missouri in the resort we visited a couple weeks ago, there was lots of taxidermy. Including a badger that seemed to be smiling.
Yes this is also art. It's a dead animal that is now inanimate art, posed as if it's still living.
Pageant of the Masters is live people who are imitating inanimate art.
There were some Pageant scenes that were poses of Shakespearean play scenes. That's living people imitating art that's depicting live theater.
My head hurts from that last one.
Finally, I offer you my best idea of the night: an idea for a CSI episode inspired by Pageant of the Masters.
Think about it.
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