CONTENTS:
DRY RUN part 4: MacGyver’thon
‘MacGyver’thon’ is a durational performance where LOW PROFILE watch an entire series of the hit 80s TV show, MacGyver, back-to-back, with an audience (over 17-18 hours) – cataloguing “useful” information.
MacGyver is a laid-back, optimistic and extremely resourceful American secret agent who favours brain over brawn – always making the most of his scientific knowledge, an unconventional use of everyday objects and his trusty Swiss-Army knife to escape (often extraordinary) life-or-death situations.
In a survey conducted in August 2007, MacGyver out ranked Indiana Jones, John McClane from the Die Hard films and James Bond as the fictional character Americans would most want to be by their side in an emergency situation.
Over the duration of the performance, the artists log MacGyver’s inventive approaches to breaking through airlocks, making ad-hoc welding machines, disarming bombs, distracting countless bad guys and essentially, numerous ways to save the day.
Alongside this “practical” information, Hannah and Rachel extract and record particular characteristics (things we are told and things we observe) about the character MacGyver that might also assist him in being “ready for anything”.
Through this action of careful watching, processing, noting, reporting and cataloguing, the audience’s attention is directed to the potential of this material and its relationship to LOW PROFILE’s on-going quest to find ways to be better prepared for their daily lives.
DRY RUN part 4: MacGyver’thon
Instruction:
- You must watch a selected series of the hit 80’s TV show MacGyver – watching episodes back to back, for 18 hours and in front of an audience.
- During the performance, useful information will be extracted and catalogued – collecting the countless rolls under a door, ways of escaping burning buildings, ways of fooling the guard, disarming the alarm system and essentially, numerous ways to save the day.
- Use this information to build an alternative guide of how to respond to every eventuality.
- The performance is over when the entire selected series has been watched and the final credits have rolled.
this work by Rachel Dobbs & LOW PROFILE
is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
research has been supported by AHRC
and undertaken as part of the MACAPD
programme at Dartington College of Arts
(University College Falmouth)
for more information about LOW PROFILE
see www.we-are-low-profile.com
return to rachel's page on the LOW PROFILE site