Offstage by Melkorka Helgadottir, Christophe Piallat and Brandon Truscott

San Francisco’s Tenderloin district has always been a neighborhood marked by various contrast and complexities. Although the neighborhood is rich in culture and history, the common observer will often solely take note of the areas urban decay. However, the Tenderloin also contains the cities major hotels and reputable theater houses and music halls. It is always been a destination for various forms of entertainment. People have always come to this neighborhood to revel and scape into the glossy world of illusion, drama, comedy, and sex. The Tenderloin in San Francisco’s theater district and its streets are an extension of a very real human drama taking place just outside of the glossy stages every day. The various expressions and interactions that exist on the streets of this neighborhood are an extremely raw and poignant display that represents a truly human struggle. Our group is interested in showing the similarities and contrasts between this real and illusionary drama at the root of this struggle.

The Tenderloin is a place where many individuals coexist, live, die and sleep on the streets. It is a truly raw and difficult existence. People often wrap their bodies and their belongings in various ways to shield themselves from this nature. People are pushed to extreme psychological ends. Our observations revealed a cathartic display that often occurs upon these conditions. People often dance, sing, or individually revel with poignant outbursts meant for an unknown audience. Our site work is interested in this behavior and how it relates to the Tenderloin districts reputation as a theater destination. To abstract and represent this phenomenon we chose the sleeping bag as the iconic object of this difficult existence. The cocoon-like swathe is often encountered in the Tenderloin and entertains a variety of references. The cocoon can symbolize a shell for protection, the process of incubation, and the potential for metamorphosis and rebirth. Our installation uses this form and materiality for purposes of social representation and possibility. The figures move within their individual glossy pods to represent the haunting performance that is at the heart of our conceptual foundation. The figures will be positioned in various locations in and around the Warfield Theater. The Offstage locations reflect a street like proscenium meant for all audiences, local or otherwise. Our aim is to highlight the Tenderloins unique tapestry of social complexities and drama, blurring the lines between theater and streets, performance and life, perceptions and reality.