Competitive alchemy...
Perfumer is a frenetic interactive encounter in the form of a game for two players. The players sit opposite one another and compete to concoct “potions” in honor of their respective “Gods.” Color-coded instructions appear upon selections from the Tarot de Marsaille and direct the action of the game by forcing players to “build” their potions in a specific order, using eyedroppers as utensils to dispense various colored liquids. Additionally, a language component complicates game play by asking players to verbalize the name of each color as they add it to their potion-in-progress. Finally, each player wears stereo headphones through which their “God-voice” intermittently communicates with them, altering game play, or charging the players to poison each other’s potions and forcing the implementation of an antidote…
Through a series of visual, aural and semiotic devices, Perfumers seeks to destabilize the sort of everyday “consciousness” one might take for granted, challenging participants to look, listen, and follow commands while pursuing a specific goal: to win the game and earn the glory of their God!
Performative Lecture:
“Improvising Consciousness,” by Professor Jennifer Årnstay
Interactive Workshops:
