Protocol X

Lior Shvil’s work reveals common themes of psychological and political subversions implemented through political policies handed down to soldiers as written and spoken protocols.

For Protocol X, a new project presented by High Desert Test Sites, Shvil will create a political theater for a civilian audience by recreating a specific selection of army training protocols that will be carried out by a group of 24 inexperienced participants, engaged in a simulated counterinsurgency exercise, as they assume dual roles as spectators and actors–both witnessing and creating dramatic meaning.

The protocols that will comprise the “script” for the performance function as a set of directives, guides, and “how-tos” that present different scenarios a soldier may face, along with the “correct” response to each situation. They are typically carried out in highly rendered locations (which Shvil considers to be “theaters”) that have been built to recreate locations that a particular military plans to engage.

The theatrical structure of the set and performance will both highlight the artifice of the situation and challenge traditional conventions of theater and performance by creating “exercises” based on a series of rules, without the larger expectations of an end “result.”

Saturday, May 9, 2015, 3–7 pm
Sunday, May 10, 2015, 3–7 pm
Iron Age Road, Wonder Valley

Want to participate?
Volunteer to be a participant in the performance on May 9 and 10 (no experience necessary), or to assist with installation leading up to the project. Email us if you’d like to get involved! (We are able to provide accommodations for a limited number of out-of-town volunteers at the A-Z West Encampment.)

Support Protocol X
_Contribute to Lior Shvil’s Hatchfund fundraising page and receive some great incentives for donating, such as a limited edition print or a custom jumpsuit from the performance._

This project is supported in part by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, and Artis.