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Brian Shapiro’s CultureWorks presents
Uncertainty Avoidance: Ain’t it Good to be in the kNOW
Fridays and Saturdays, November 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, and 19, 8pm
The EXIT Theatre, 156 Eddy Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
San Francisco, CA – Brian Shapiro’s CultureWorks, a San Francisco based performance art collaborative and member of Intersection for the Arts Incubator Project and Theatre Bay Area, is proud to present, UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE: Ain’t it Good to be in the kNOW. Building on their successful January performance of The Institute for Relativity Studies at San Francisco’s Brava Theatre Center, UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE playfully interrogates a modern sociological theory of the same name. Developed by Dutch sociologist Geert Hofstede during his study of IBM employees worldwide, the theory of Uncertainty Avoidance attempts to explain how different cultural group deal with life’s inherent uncertainty. Hofstede was able to develop a ranking system from which cultural predictions of individuals could be made. This serves as the point of departure for Shapiro’s company, as they make plausible predictions and draw out peculiar positions that would surly unnerve any legitimate scholar.
UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE features several sprightly vignettes developed by Mr. Shapiro, East Bay percussionist Greg Beuthin of Balé Techlorico, San Francisco saxophonist Aaron Cohen of the Aaron Cohen Trio and Golden Gate Park Tunnels, Berkeley fiddle player Stephanie Prausnitz of the Stairwell Sisters, and video artist Bijan Yashar. Set against the backdrop of Mr. Shapiro’s own peripatetic life, these vignettes recognize the great lengths our species will go to be assured of tomorrow. A few highlights include:
Gourmet Gasoline- Facing an increase demand for raw crude from the rapidly developing population behemoths, China and India, and facing crisis here at home, The North American Petroleum Association (NAPA) looks for new ways to assure continuing profits. Following the lead of the Water industry, NAPA begins to test market a new “class-distinct” line of gasoline in a classless gasoline marketplace. Flavors such as “Pure Baghdad”, “Costal Cali”, and “ANWAR Elite” are sure to attract a more discerning driver, don’t you think?
Ice Cold Soda!- Everyone’s favorite Hot Dog vendor makes his usual high-energy appearance to satiate our appetite for satisfying delights of questionable nutritional value. Selling everyday ballpark snacks like peanuts, popcorn, and Cracker Jacks, along with some unusual concessions including Testaments, Ideologies, and Intellectual Concepts. Hungry or not, his presences gets the mind thinking about what the body may or may not need
Life Insurance Countdown- The audience is gathered to pay respects to the deceased, who has left them a healthy million-dollar policy. However, for the beneficiary audience to stake this claim, they have 100 seconds to fulfill some simple yet deceptively challenging acts. The stakes are high, for every 10 seconds off the clock means a loss of $100,000. What remains at the end is simply a matter of time.
Intelligent Designer Jeans- This 30-second commercial spot satirizes the newly re-charged Evolution v. Creationism debate from a more “fashionable” perspective. Are today’s looks the result of yesterday’s ideas or did they spontaneously arrive in some special minds?
This 70-minute performance is supported by directorial assistance from Sharon Walton of the Cowell Theatre, set-design by visual artist Heather Ford, lighting design by San Francisco Fringe Festival Technician Curtis Overacre, video editing by Berkeley’s Bijan Yashar, and photography by Italy’s own Alessandro De Sogos.
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