Typewriter Piece

by Adrian Hornsby

A man sits in relative darkness before a typewriter. Behind him there is another man on stilts. Strings connect the arms and hands of the seated man to a pair of crosspieces in the hands of the man on stilts, after the fashion of a marionette. Using these crosspieces the man on stils manipulates the movements of the seated man as he begins to type.

Upstage a large screen projection displays the mouth of the typewriter, its hammers, and the text as it is being written. A dense sound collage builds and the typing becomes faster and more frenzied. The marionette manipulator struggles to maintain balance on his stilts. Wrestling for control, he eventually drops the crosspieces and falls. With no one to move his arms the seated man remains seated, unmoving, having ceased typing, breathing.

{Lights fade to black}

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Typewriter Piece from kmz on Vimeo.

SCREEN TEXT

I am free. I am free to love my country and fear others. I am free in my fear of things outside myself.

I am free to take solace in my faith my religion and despise the religions of others. I am free to have faith in the companies from whom I buy products. I am free in my faith in the government for which I did not vote.

I believe in the way in which I was educated in the justice system and in the punishment system. I am free in my rejection of those who live in poverty - both far away and in my immediate environment.

I am free to maintain a liberal position on things. I am free to export my values.

I am free to protect my interests to defend my family to prioritize the lives of those whom I love and am close to over those I do not love and am distant from.

I am free in my love of my wife and children.

I am free in my choice of media and reading material. The chains that sell to me are guided by my interests. I think freely. I am free to write to create and to associate.

The most intense things are very very small and still. There is something

PERFORMANCES

15 December 2002
Galapagos Art Space, New York

14 & 21 April 2003
Théâtre Espace Cardin, Paris

17 May 2003
Perdu, Amsterdam

June 2003
Espace Créâteur Châteadun, Paris

Typewriter Piece

Adrian Hornsby

Original Cast: Quinn Comendant, Adrian Hornsby
film directed by Adrian Hornsby, camera Tabore Rector, Ryan McGlynn