Next week, Torn Space Theater premieres a new three-day performance installation by long-time collaborators, Tim Stegner and Frank Napolski. The piece titled, “Security,” will feature real-life security guards as performers, and include data-driven sound and lighting design that will overlay their movements. “This installation looks to challenge the norms of observer and observed.” Security will run from April 27 through April 29 at the resident theater of Torn Space, located at 612 Fillmore Ave. Buffalo, NY 14212.

Collaborators Stegner and Napolski, who both have experience in technology, design, and performance, have gathered data, statistics, scholarly articles, and information from government databases. The statistics, imagery, and text used as the source material by Stegner and Napolski was translated into machine-readable files. This “abstracted” data is turned into light and sound patterns projected onto a grid of paid security guards.

Tim Stegner, owns a locally-based digital design and web development company, and has worked closely with Torn Space for almost 20 years. You may not recognize Tim, as he works mostly behind the scenes, however his onstage concepts have been newsworthy and attention grabbing.

For example, in 2014 Stegner hired a helicopter to appear as the finale’s final actor of the performance “Motion Picture” at Silo City. Another time, Tim used white Ford vans rather than dancers to perform a “ballet.” Although we are told that he really wanted monster trucks.

At Buffalo Rising, we were curious about the inspiration behind this piece. Below is a Q&A with director, creator, and artist, Tim Stegner:

How did you get involved in design and development?



Well, if you ask my therapist it’s probably due to some obsessive-compulsive issues…but, I’d say it’s because I’ve always enjoyed problem solving. Starting out as a print designer I loved working with specific parameters and being creative within those parameters. Once the dynamic nature of the internet came around, I was even more intrigued at how my designs could change and respond due to interaction. This caused me to jump over to web design. As I grew in that field, I realized I was most satisfied with creating applications and systems that helped others navigate through and use the massive amount of information that the web provides us access to. So, that’s how I ended up in my current role as a User Experience / User Interface (UX/UI) designer.



What is your background in theater and performance? How did you become involved with Torn Space?



I really came to theater through Torn Space. Back in 2001, I saw one of their very early performances at the Adam Mickiewicz Library and Dramatic Circle (now, Torn Space’s home theater). I’ve always been a fan of performance but most of my exposure was via film and performance art. When I saw my first Torn Space piece, I was really overwhelmed by the visual impact and possibilities of live theater. I basically knew I had to get involved so I asked the artistic director, Dan Shanahan if I could start creating posters to promote the shows. This led to developing their first logo, web sites, and eventually becoming the designer for all of their identity and collateral. Over the years, and in further developing my relationship with both Dan and Torn Space co-founder Melissa Meola-Shanahan I also became involved in the design of the productions. We all share a similar aesthetic and as we worked together, and learned more about each of our influences, it became apparent that not only did our tastes match but also our values and vision for what Torn Space could and should be.



What is your process for marrying the two disciplines of design and theater?



My approach to design has always been based in research. So, often times when Dan or Melissa would need something to promote upcoming work, I would dig into the material and distill what I had learned into as powerful an image/idea as I could muster. This distillation process also began to influence the actual productions. Often times themes or imagery that I had unearthed in my research would end up influencing the actual performance. Eventually, the research and distillation processes became the way that we approached and developed all of our work.



Once the research is done and you’re ready to distill, the process again returns to basic design principles: Who is the audience? What do they value? How can your work influence them?



There’s also the impact of incremental design and development practices. Being able to have an idea for a finished piece, but taking incremental steps toward it and adjusting things along the way means that the piece is always moving forward.



What do you want people to know before coming to this installation?



On a practical level, I want them to be aware that the piece is durational, meaning that they can attend anytime the play is running and can enter and exit as they like. We realize that for some people a performance like this, which is highly abstract and may not have the narrative flow that people are accustomed to, can be overwhelming. So for this audience, they may want to come in, grab a drink (at the exceptionally charming Mickiewicz bar) and view the piece more as a gallery installation where one takes as much time as they like with a piece. But, if you want to sit or move around the piece for the duration you’re welcome to do that – it’s meant to be quite meditative. Being that the piece cycles every hour, I will suggest that a great way to experience it would be to arrive at the top of the hour (i.e. 7, 8, or 9 pm) and stay – seated or standing or both – for 60 minutes to experience the complete compositional arc.



On a thematic level, I really want to emphasize that this is not a statement piece. There are certainly many interesting themes that have come out of it, but at its root, it is about an experiment in substitution. I asked myself, “What happens when one element of theater is replaced for another? How does it affect adjacent elements? How does it change the viewer?” This is what I want people to think about. This is the headspace. What does happen when the role of watcher and watched is switched.



How do you feel about the developments in the security sector, and how those changes affect our everyday life?

I’ve been interested in the idea of the security sector since it became such a hot issue in the early aughts with companies such as Blackwater (the private military company founded by Eric Prince, now called Academi) being used in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. As the piece developed, I was learning more and more about how private security is replacing law enforcement not just in the US, but world-wide. I wouldn’t say my interest is about the developments of the security sector per se, but more so privatization in general. It’s just odd to me that as the for-profit sector grows, more and more labor is being used to protect wealth rather than to create it. It also seems to me that this pattern of using private companies, which pride themselves on their cost-savings, are often paying lower wages to people that are taking substantial risks.



If I do a little thought experiment here: it seems that expanding this concept of protection for profit will eventually end up with a situation where only the wealthiest are protected or even deemed “protectable”. And the unprotected or “protection-less” are only valuable in there support or defense of wealth, with no actual access to that wealth.



Now, extend this thought to the emerging markets of private firefighters, or the more familiar subject of charter schools and that’s where you’ll find the real effect on everyday life.



What was your inspiration behind this piece?



As an admirer of performance (and being a “visual person”) what always gets me is the image-based impact of a work, not necessarily the roles or language of a piece. So, I’ve always been interested in the idea of replacing common theatrical elements with unexpected or outrageous ones. Years back, I had a chance to bring in a helicopter as an actor during the last scene of Torn Space’s Motion Picture. This idea has stuck with me and I’m thrilled to finally be getting an opportunity to apply this “find and replace” technique to an entire performance.



How do you use data as an artistic/design tool? Why use paid security guards instead of actors, what’s the difference?



Well, with this piece it was very important that all the information was based in fact. From the actors being actual paid security guards, to the scoring of the music and lights being completely derived from the security sector. It’s not always the case that I would use data as a structural component – data is by no means my medium – but, with this piece the data was really the thing that I found most interesting. Once I had the format of security guards chosen and sketched out as the subject matter, it was the data and statistics about the security industry that drove the development of the piece.



What is your hope most people will experience, or walk away thinking about?



This may sound a bit flowery, but I think I’d be most satisfied if people walked away with a sense of possibility. I find that when things are skewed from their usual roles, their usual place, that it’s inevitable that new relationships are formed. As pattern seeking creatures, when confronted with an unusual or unfamiliar situation our brains will fill in the blanks. So, it’s not just the audience I want to impress with forming new ideas, but it’s also the guards. I hope that there is time to even have dialog between the theater goers and the players. I really want to know what goes through people’s minds when confronted with another that is not the one that they expect.



With the increasing privatization of security and monetization of data, do you think that privacy will be only for those who can afford it?

I can’t say for sure, but my feeling is unless the active and voting public can influence legislators to adopt privacy laws similar to those in Europe (e.g. the General Data Protection Regulation) then any semblance of privacy would go away for the majority of the US population. As a matter of fact, even those that could afford more privacy may be statistically irrelevant to the data coming from the majority, so in essence their privacy may be impeded by decisions informed by the available data of the majority. The main issue with this, and thank you for giving me a platform to say it, is that as with many other US laws, the health, wellness, and wealth of the public will be compromised for the profit of private industry. No matter how much someone like Mark Zuckerberg “would like to” protect people’s data it will be the lobbyists, paid for by the shareholders, that will convince lawmakers to sell your privacy for higher gains.



Is there anything else readers should know?



Yeah, honestly, it’s going to be a good time. The subject matter can get as heavy or as reflective as your sensibility allows. Stop by, chat, have a drink! We’re looking forward to it.