The first time I have attended the Tangle performance from the Polyglot Theatre, I didn’t really know what to expect. In my head, I imagined that it will be an interactive theatre experience, where the audience, both adults and children, will participate in a play activity of some sort of a competitive nature. I did not quite realize that it is mainly designed for kids until I came to the Campus Center Plaza and found myself surrounded by children and their parents. Instantly, I found myself feeling like I do not belong, however, the nature of the performance still remained curious to me.

“Tangle” started off with a short intro in which Polyglot actors presented a sound and movement performance. The peculiar music set a playful mood for what was about to happen next. Each participant was given a simple task in order to contribute to the art piece. The Polyglot actors gave each visitor a ball of elastic string that we were asked to tie at one of the poles positioned across the performance space. Then everyone had to tangle the elastic all around and had the freedom to be as creative as they want to be. In the end, space was filled up by an intricate web of colorful strings, vibrantly contrasting against the grey tones of our campus.

As part of the assignment, we were asked to attend the performance both as observers and the participants. My first visit was definitely more observative because I felt slightly uncomfortable being around children and parents. The reason for this was not the preconception that “I am too old or too cool for this”, but rather an impression of being out of place. Since the Tangle performance is designed for children, it makes the event an opportunity for adults to play with their little ones. A college student was definitely an excluded age group. I felt like the space provided a cheerful experience for those involved but it was even more special for participating families. The interactivity of Tangle created a beautiful opportunity for adults to share the joy of playing around and with children and maybe to feel like they are children as well. I could see that they were sharing an intimate moment of bonding, which made me feel like I should step out and observe the preciousness of it. As a system of play, Tangle generates a space for exploration, experimentation and for simply having fun. I believe that this performance successfully achieves all of those goals and even more, as its outcome is a true artifact of social interactions between parents and children that at the same time blurs boundaries between childhood and adulthood.

Later, being a participant of Tangle has opened new perspectives on the exhibition. I have realized that the play aspect of it is perceived differently by children and those older than them. When you are young, there is no limit to your imagination. That is why children participating in the performance were playing within the created space and could imagine it as something bigger. The colorful labyrinth of elastic could be a spider web, a trap, a new universe or anything a child could think of. However, speaking from an “adult” perspective, I remained very aware of my surroundings throughout the event. I felt like my creativity was limited by the realization of having strangers around and being in an artificially created space. This performance was disruptive, in a sense, because of its choice of a routine location and it also holds a crossover of concepts explored in the class such as space, expression and social interaction.

Speaking of the performance as an opportunity for artistic expression, Tangle is a piece of art that is born through people’s participation and interaction and therefore is an exhibit of human contact and creativity. The tangled elastic is in itself a metaphor for social interaction, as each intersection and a knot traces the participation of an individual. The group effort produces a massive art installation, while its creators of which remain anonymous. With just a right touch of colorful chaos, Tangle finds a balance between individual expression and group participation in a way that each one can contribute to this piece of art but no one gets to own it. Also, the audience gets an opportunity to explore the elasticity of both their minds and bodies! 🙂