Trophy is an episodic performance and living installation built around stories of transformation. Audience members move through a pop-up Tent City of Stories, which contains 1-100 architectural tents, depending on the location. Inside each tent is a person telling a story of a turning point in their life. These are true stories about moments when they experienced real change. Stories of loss, love
, aging, careers and more fill the tents over the course of the production. The storytellers are community members who reflect the diversity of our city. Audience members circulate through the tents, visiting as many as they feel drawn to. Inside each tent, they can share their own stories of change by writing on small, colourful transparencies. These stories are attached to the tents, transforming them into multi-coloured translucent structures. How the installation evolves is determined by the public’s interactions with it. In this way, the experience of Trophy becomes an expression of all participants’ stories, and a compelling exploration and conversation about how we all experience change. Between performances, viewers can walk through the Tent City and experience its beauty as an installation. The tents will be in the Byward Market and lit from within, resulting in an architectural installation that brings the downtown region to life. Participants can read stories in each of the tents as they wander through, and share their own. The tents are being built with sustainability in mind, and a portion will be repurposed as seasonal greenhouses after the event. Created by STO Union, and presented in partnership with L’Atelier, the National Arts Centre’s Canada Scene and Ottawa 2017. Calgary // High Performance Rodeo // January 17-19, 2018
