People wandered into the Colony, a designer co-op in Chinatown, in pairs and groups. We positioned ourselves in the middle of a minimal showroom of contemporary case goods and textiles, facing the cloth backdrop and cardboard props that set the stage for Duets, a performance by David Gilbert and Paul Pescador presented on November 8 as part of Performa 15. The set was crafty but well crafted, with a cardboard cityscape lit from inside and paper stars on the night-sky black background.

In Duets, Gilbert and Pescador combine playful makeshift costumes, puppets, and a surprise inflatable pretzel with back-and-forth narratives of two individuals over the course of a relationship. Read More