Oakland, Bay Area

November 20, 2000

Two of our most undisturbed days of research were spent exploring the Mountain view cemetry in Oakland. We discovered that people do the oddest things in cemeterys. It is this very open kind of public space. One man was busy cleaning trash out his car, years of it, next to his mothers grave.

For me one of the highlights was an hour long solo descent from the top of the hillside to the exit gate. There were at least twelve of us dressed in white on our own pathways of curiosity. As people walked, read grave stones, stopped to pray, dance, meditate, we cried, witnessed each other, traced memories and experienced the landscape and architecture. We built scores together in the afternoon in smaller groups that we performed for one another.

Performers: Alex Zaphiris, Heather Pierce, Heike Wrede, Lawrenzo Share, Lindsay Hasset, Louisa Bertleson, Mandy Snyder, Margot Lystra, Olive Bieringa, Otto Ramstad, Rafael Cohen, Shelly Smith, Steven Kessler, Wang PoShu