Ramp Address
2017
2017
"On May 9, 2017, three strikers led a crowd of thirty people up a spiral ramp. They were told to strike a pair of shelf brackets, hold them by their ears, and say what they think they just heard. On their way from the third floor to the fifth floor, they met three musicians - a drummer, a cellist, and a pianist, who responded to what was happening on site. Among the crowd there were three graffiti readers, who occasionally yelled words from the graffiti in the ramp. At the end, people stopped walking, gathered, and listened to the ramp addressing to them all, just like a group of zombies, who didn't know what was happening but still followed the crowd anyway."
Before people arrived, a sound collage was playing, consisting of the recordings of time once spent in the ramp.
Dear passers-by,
My name is the Ramp. Like what you did today, a lot of people have stumbled upon me, for a journey without a destination, for a riot against themselves, for a visit to those who are gone, and for a hope for things they haven't imagined yet. They come to me in search for a moment of inner peace, and I give them the echo of their own heartbeats. I am an empty set, made of thousands of smaller sets, where some shows are done, and some are yet to happen. Luckily, people never have to worry about striking their sets, because even though they’re gone, their presence still reverberates inside of me. Thanks for being part of me. And I will continue to wait for my next visitors, and greet them with the dust that I picked up today from your presence. Yours, Ramp |
Appendix 1: Words and graffiti in the ramp
Appendix 2: Instructions for the strikers, musicians, and graffiti readers
Notes and another rehearsal tomorrow at 2?
Hi everyone!
Thanks for your work today!! I hope it's gonna be a thing! I think I still need to run it once tomorrow because there are some advances that I want to make (see below). I'm thinking about 2pm because it's my crit time. Please let me know if there are conflicts!
And here are the things that I want to communicate to you:
Everybody:
-The sound you give out is also your inner state
To me, this whole thing is:
-A journey without a destination
-A riot against one's self
-A visit to those who are gone
-Anticipation of meeting people who you haven't met yet
-A set made of thousands of small sets, where some shows are done, and some are yet to happen
Strikers:
-Let's try closing your eyes when you say the words
-Stronger strikes and stronger words
-Would rather walk slow, than fast
-I'm still deciding on the ending. I'll let you know tomorrow.
Musicians:
-You're the beacon towers who pass on the fire.
-For some reason I'm thinking about the "Do You Hear the People Sing" scene in Les Miserables.
-Overall, take the volume down a little bit because it was hard to hear the strikers
-I still need to think about where is the end. I'll let you know tomorrow.
Graffiti readers:
-Maybe the words could be read in a heavier, more solemn tone? Let's see tomorrow...
-Towards the end, there is another graffiti that I missed today, "SINS", which is on the wall behind the bench.
Best,
Wendy
Hi everyone!
Thanks for your work today!! I hope it's gonna be a thing! I think I still need to run it once tomorrow because there are some advances that I want to make (see below). I'm thinking about 2pm because it's my crit time. Please let me know if there are conflicts!
And here are the things that I want to communicate to you:
Everybody:
-The sound you give out is also your inner state
To me, this whole thing is:
-A journey without a destination
-A riot against one's self
-A visit to those who are gone
-Anticipation of meeting people who you haven't met yet
-A set made of thousands of small sets, where some shows are done, and some are yet to happen
Strikers:
-Let's try closing your eyes when you say the words
-Stronger strikes and stronger words
-Would rather walk slow, than fast
-I'm still deciding on the ending. I'll let you know tomorrow.
Musicians:
-You're the beacon towers who pass on the fire.
-For some reason I'm thinking about the "Do You Hear the People Sing" scene in Les Miserables.
-Overall, take the volume down a little bit because it was hard to hear the strikers
-I still need to think about where is the end. I'll let you know tomorrow.
Graffiti readers:
-Maybe the words could be read in a heavier, more solemn tone? Let's see tomorrow...
-Towards the end, there is another graffiti that I missed today, "SINS", which is on the wall behind the bench.
Best,
Wendy
Rehearsal notes 5/8
Hi everyone! Thanks for your contribution to my brain!! As for tomorrow:
Everyone:
-Let’s arrive at the ramp at 2. We need to start on time because I’m afraid if people walk around without seeing me, the whole thing will be late.
-I will find a place to hide before 2:05. So the beginning is totally in your hands.
Strikers:
-No matter how the set on the top floor changes, look out into the window.
-I forgot to mention today that I want you to try closing your eyes when saying the words.
-Strikes and words can both be stronger.
Graffiti readers:
-Even louder and stronger.
Musicians:
-You may get into your spots and start playing at 2:05.
-Listen for the ending (Cathy stops before they reach the white sofa; Natalie stops when unable to hear Cathy; Galen stops when unable to hear Natalie)
-Not playing is also playing.
-You may walk up to the top floor bench/window area after you’re done. Your reappearance would be interesting because you’re like the people who just woke up from a dream and don’t know what just happened.
G:
-The Bluetooth speaker will be put on top of the huge cloth sculpture
-Turn off the speaker when you’re done, or hit the stop button in iTunes on the laptop, if it doesn’t require password. The laptop will be put in the cupboard thingy.
N:
-Keep it even softer between 2:09-2:12 because I want the audience to hear the very first strikes.
C:
-I’ll tell you what devices to turn on tomorrow for the ramp speech.
-They will be put in the white sofa (if it’s still there), facing the crowd.
Break a leg!!!!!!!
Shakalakaboomboom,
Wendy
Appendix 3: Things not done
I like the feeling of walking up and down the ramp again and again for no reason. It has become a place where I go when I don’t know what I’m doing. The action of walking in the ramp brought me temporary inner peace, because there’s usually no one else but the construction outside, or the echo of my own footsteps. But at the same time, the ramp is loud, full of traces of the presence of bodies, whom I don’t really know. People were probably here for similar reasons. And now they are gone. And I will be gone, too.
I left the ramp in its own state without moving the furniture and the trash because it is the natural state of the ramp that resembles the current state of myself, full of reminiscences of past ideas, yet empty. It is a set made of many small sets. But the shows are done a long time ago, and the crew has moved on to do other things, but I am still stuck. When I worked in the theatre, I used to have very mixed feelings when we had to strike the shows. Say...you construct the set for 3 months, and within 3 hours it’s gone. But in the ramp, the set never gets to be taken down because it always remains in a state of being the last moment of a show. I am using the shelf brackets because the sound of them reminds me of a Zen Buddhism temple. Striking shelf brackets is like striking bells in the body. Each sound will reverberate by the strikers’ ears for a certain amount of time. In the same way, when something strikes me, the thought of it would reverb within me and never seems to be able to fade away. |