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The audience stand looking at the scene from the same perspective as the photograph. There are approximately 10 of them. The space is dark.

From far off in front of the audience, singing comes to them through the dark. It is pure, slow and sad. Maybe the hairs rise on the backs of some people’s necks.

The singing is broken by a loud klaxon sound as the left hand travelator starts up. An object begins to move towards the audience. The object is on fire. As it gets closer the audience can see it is a large yukka plant, flaming.

When the yukka plant reaches the end it is pushed up onto the tread plate by the momentum of the travelator and stays there, flaming.

The audience are slightly unnerved by the proximity of fire, but some of them become curious and move closer. They see, written on the base of the plant pot: ‘LETS GET SOME LIGHT ON THE SUBJECT’.

An usher dressed all in red hands a large red switch on the end of a flex to a member of the audience. BETTER STILL.! A large red switch on the end of a long flex descends from the ceiling to the right of the travelator and sways in the flickering lights of the flaming yukka.

Tempted, the audience depress the switch. Three things happen:

•The overhead lights flicker on one at a time in sequence, starting at the audience end.

•Both travelators start with a loud klaxon sound, the yukka slides back on and is carried back to the other end.

•Airport musak is heard winding itself up to speed

Presently the audience see a cardboard box is travelling towards them on the right hand travelator. When it gets to the end it is pushed up on the tread plate by the momentum of the travelator, as with the yukka before. On it is written:

‘YOU ARE: FEMALE. HAVE HAIR, EYES ETC.

I AM: A BOX. WAITING, HOPEFUL

PLEASE OPEN ME

A curious female audience member steps forward and opens the box. She takes out a piece of paper, reads it and then turns to the rest of the audience. She reads from the paper to them:

‘In a moment, I will be lost to you for a time. In the minutes ahead, you may think of me but inevitably you will forget me.This is the way of things. You must not feel sad when you remember how you forgot me’.

The lady stands on the beginning of the travelator (which has stopped) and holds the box in her arms. She starts waving goodbye to the audience.

A voice is heard over a tannoy: ‘Will remaining passengers please make their way to the departure lake, using the moving walkway to their left. Walking is not permitted on the travelator. Walking is not permitted on the travelator. Please grip the hand rail firmly.

The audience files onto the left hand travelator. When the travelator has moved them half way along the hall, it stops with the klaxon. At the same time, the other travelator starts up. The lady with the box, who has continued to wave at the audience, now overtakes them on the other side. The walkway is propelling her very fast indeed. The airport musak speeds up to accompany the woman’s passage.

The audience grow nervous. How will the lady dismount from the walkway at such a speed? Then they see two people dressed in red, positioning a large red gym matt at the end of the travelator to break the lady’s fall. The lady makes a graceful swallow dive into the matt as she is propelled off the end of the walkway. The box she was holding sails up into the air.

The musak returns to normal speed.

A klaxon sounds. The rest of the puzzled audience are transported back in the direction they came from. When they reach the end and dismount from the travelator, they discover another box waiting for them. This time it is standing in the space they once occupied.

Something compelling is written on the box. An audience member investigates. A piece of paper instructs the person to help the audience divide themselves into two groups:

DREAMERS and REALISTS.

The DREAMERS assemble on the right hand travelator. A klaxon sounds, they are transported to the other end. Sedately.

The REALISTS assemble at the end, but not on the left hand travelator. Soon the travelator will bring them two companions. The music is beginning to change and get louder. At opposing ends, each group is introduced to a guide, who will travel on the walkway with them. The audiences will now take the role of sidelong witnesses to a scene that will be played out between the walkways.

They stand motionless as the travelator propels them gently along. Alongside them in the central aisle their character walks - their ‘side of the story’ if you will. As the scene progresses, the guide provides a voiceover, mapping out the thoughts and preoccupations of the figure. All the while, another figure is approaching from the other end and accompanying them, the audience of the other ‘side of the story’.

Maybe the guides have megaphones. It becomes possible to hear the thoughts and preoccupations of the other character as the pair encounter each other. The travelators stop. The characters circle round each other. The atmosphere is electric. The guides are whispering urgently now, maybe even egging on their red companions. Something terrible and exciting happens. The pair break away from each other.

The travelators continue on their way. But no! Maybe a change of heart. A burst of courage or anger impels our characters to turn and go back. The audiences must follow them, walk against the flow of the travelators. We all struggle together! The realists may decide to flee from the scene; the dreamers to sink to their knees in agony. Maybe we need to hook the prostrate dreamer character with a large stick and drag him away with us.

And now suddenly the space in between the travelators are filled with persons all dressed in red. There maybe some playful choreography where the red characters vie for the attentions of certain members of the audience. They may become in turn their mascots or representatives in a scene.

After a fashion, the audience are rather like:

•Princesses supporting their knights at a match

•Game watchers on safari

•Accomplices to a crime

[Melanie Wilson © 2005]

Site_7

Every weekend, when I took the train back to my home town, I had to make my way to the furthest rail track which was connected to the bustling main trainstation by this bridge, with 2 conveyor belts, as usually seen at airports.

I often wondered why the other parts of the trainstation were so crowded, but not a single soul was ever to be seen in this part.

One day, I called my friends to help me with some shopping. N. gave me a lift to the decoration store, were we got 500 litres of floor paint #FD0DEF and 80 neon tubes color #0DE4FD. A., F. and D.J. hopped on board and we drove off to this very same rail track walkway, which i had to pass every weekend. Within three hours, we had painted the floor screaming pink and exchanged the tube lights with the aqua-baby blue tubes. It looked magical.

We brought our instruments out and performed on our new 'stage'. It soon filled up with curious passengers from the main trainstation, word spread, and  the concert and party went on for three days and nights [...]

[Manu Luksch © 2005]