Across New York, USB drives are appearing, embedded in walls, buildings and curbs. The idea is to create an anonymous, offline file-sharing network in a public space. The drives are completely public and anyone can plug in to drop and download files.
It's part of an art project called "Dead Drops" by Aram Bartholl and I have to say, it's cool as fuck. I'd have to plug in. It'd also be interesting to see what people would anonymously share on the public drive.
The beginning of the story is told through a voiceover artist in a studio. The director then cleverly immerses you into the tale of a servant who falls in love with his blind master.
The subtle lighting and minimalist set make the story telling and characterization extremely powerful.
But what makes this truly amazing is the use of a puppet for the main character, for the first half of the performance.
On paper this sounds like it’s going to be pretty hard to take seriously. But at no time do you question it. It seamlessly fits with the story and actually helps convey the lead character’s weakness and vulnerability. Despite her ferocious temper.
Some might be put off by the thought of seeing a play about sadomasochism, that’s completely in Japanese (there’s subtitles projected on to the set) but don’t be. It’s well worth a look.
