Remember Seatle

Fun and escapism are never ideologically neutral.

More than ever, past visions of the future are repackaged as present pleasure and leisure. But they cannot replace new aspirations without sacrificing our presence in the moment. The future always lives in the past, while the present dissolves into a watered-down cacophony of ever-accelerating "pasts."

Is the future dead?

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This performance examines multiple modes of pleasure. Nostalgic forms of expression and entertainment are juxtaposed with pastimes that demand presence in the moment. The precarious, cobbled-together elements do not exist in harmony. Instead, the chaotic aesthetic is reinforced by its connection to a moment of social unrest in American history—an event already fading from collective memory. The work questions what we choose to remember, recycle, and revisit, and what we allow to be forgotten.

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At its center is a sculptural element: a vintage video game character—part Pac-Man ghost, part Space Invader—evoking both the outsider and the specter. The addition of boating elements introduces a class-based layer to the work, further complicating its themes of nostalgia and escapism. Before and after its use in performance, the sculpture briefly functioned as a child’s fort. Eventually, it found its final resting place in a clearing in the woods, where, for a time, it remained visible from space via Google Maps.

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