Ephemera gathers the Vancouver performing arts community to create and shape a history of local performance
Theatre Replacement, Rumble Theatre, and SFU Special Collections see historical value of performance detritus
The objective of Ephemera is to gather the Vancouver performing arts community in a non-competitive way to create and shape a history of local performance — and celebrate history in the process. Photo by Tim Matheson
Performance is unique and ephemeral, here for a moment in time, then gone. But once it has passed, what is left?
Author Rebecca Schneider, professor of theatre arts and performance studies at Brown University, has argued that every performance also leaves remains: in the bodies of its creators; in the memories of its audiences; and in the paper trails and material detritus that attest to the different phases of its development.
Ephemera is an ongoing archiving project that celebrates the performing arts community in Vancouver, presented in collaboration by Theatre Replacement, Rumble Theatre, and SFU Special Collections.
Having launched in 2018 at Progress Lab 1422, the series’ fourth iteration takes place June 26 and 27.
For Ephemera IV, artists and members of arts organizations are once again invited to contribute bits and pieces of creative materials, office work, and production remnants — paper items that would otherwise be discarded — to a collective archive. Think sticky notes, photos, newspaper articles, napkins with notes scribbled on them, ticket stubs, candy wrappers: any paper or flat artefact related to the path and process of creative works, from initial idea to development to performance.
As a group, artists will organize, structure, catalogue, and preserve detritus of past performances.
The collection will be housed, along with Ephemera I, II and III, as part of SFU Special Collections and Rare Books.
The objective of Ephemera is to gather the Vancouver theatre community in a non-competitive way to create and shape a history of local performance — and celebrate its history in the process.
Previous partnerships for the event include the GVPTA (for Ephemera II at the Post at 750 in 2019) and Upintheair Theatre (for Ephemera III in 2020 at e-Volver Festival online).
For Ephemera IV, people can choose up to three items and bring them to a COVID-19-safe drop-off at PL1422 (1422 William Street) on June 26 or 27 anytime between 12 and 4 pm PDT.
Digital items can be emailed to ephemera@rumble.org by June 27.
Still not sure what to bring? Here’s a suggestion for the prompt lovers: “How does art evolve?”
Visit rumble.org or theatrereplacement.org for more information.
Ephemera I at Progress Lab 1422 in 2018. Photo by Tim Matheson
This post was sponsored by Rumble Theatre.