What happens to culture as its observed ?

Les Arts Ephemères is a collective exhibition that takes place outdoors in a pristine, classical park where the Mayor's offices of the 9th/10th districts of Marseille sits. As I walked around the park and recognized species of plants and trees that were brought there around the turn of the 20th century, the confusion of 'culture' became apparent to me as I considered the act of enclosing displaced plants in a man-made, 'natural' space as well as the upcoming contemporary art exhibition. Parks are strange places. I like to picnic in them, but they can also feel too organized and contained.

I began asking the question, “How do we access culture?“ How do we seize not only the meaning, but the very stuff of what 'culture' is made of? What does it look like or mean to contain culture, like in a park or an exhibition?

With these questions in mind I organized and choreographed a performance (of which I didn't participate) on a mountain that was visible from the park, yet not part of the park. (Where does culture end/begin?) I placed a telescope within the middle of the park and through the magnifying scope, viewers could see tiny versions of people who were climbing the mountain wearing scout-inspired uniforms and white gloves while holding potted plants. The spectators couldn't see these details. At the top of the mountain, the 'scout' performers participated in their scouting: exploring, discovering, telling stories and learning. Learning a dance in particular, as the sun set. My intention was to create a tiny community, a culture of which I wasn’t a part of, yet could observe with others from a distance. Reflecting on the voyeurism rising in our own culture at the moment this performance was made, I hoped to create an experience for the performers that only they would understand and to underline for the viewers just how far they were from what they were watching. The performance was an act of spontaneous culture that was observed, yet not accessible, and uniquely experienced by those who participated in the miniature and brief culture.