My immersive experience at this year’s SummerWorks Performance Festival continued earlier this week with a preview of bluemouth inc.‘s Field Guide.

The piece begins at Trinity Bellwoods Park. We are assigned a partner (or a bring a buddy, I’d suggest), with whom we’ll share this particular journey. We are provided with a handy notebook/manual, which we’ll be using throughout the performance. As a group, we explore the park and taking in the surroundings while following directions provided via headphones.

Walking through the park, we’re asked to think of a song, a joke, a story, and to list seven items we’ve lost… said ‘items’ could be objects, people, places, anything really. After a few minutes in the park, our ‘field guides’ walk us towards a loft or studio, where we were greeted with live music.

Members of bluemouth inc. Photo by Heidy M.

Once inside, we join in a game of poker with a ‘bluemouth twist.’ And let me just tell you, it’s not your usual game of poker. When most people think about poker, they automatically think about playing it in a casino in Las Vegas, or through somewhere like this 918 kiss apk download link 2021 whilst attempting to win as much money as possible. They keep going because they want to win more and more and in some cases there is a chance that you become a millionaire if you play your hand well and have some luck. The last thing that you’d expect it to be is this. If someone wants to play their own round of poker then that is up to them, but here it is a little different which I will go into, however, if poker is calling your name, you may want to look into websites such as Infolific for more information so you are prepared.

The idea behind this particular card game with a twist is for us to share our losses, songs, stories, and jokes. Each of us takes turns to play; every detail is thought out. Every detail has a meaning, in my opinion. As we all place our ‘bets’, each chip signifies one of our losses, which we name aloud and share with the rest of the players. Some losses are funny; others are sad; an others are surprising. The point is that no matter who we are, where we’ve come from, we’ve all experienced losses of some kind. Now it’s common knowledge that actual poker games are very popular, as you can see here most Japanese are a fan of poker and it doesn’t stop there, however, this specific game of poker would be much less known around the world. As each game ends, the ‘losers’ have to draw a card. This card determines whether we have to share a story, a joke, or a song. Again, these vary in range from funny, to real-life struggles, and the like.

Sharing a story… Photo by Heidy M.

We also join in some kind of funeral or something of the like… This adds to another dimension to this immersive experience. We hear a couple of people (part of the company) speak about someone who has died. We hear someone speak about her mother, and we also hear someone else speak about his father. If you’ve ever been to a funeral or memorial service, then this type of experience resonates. There are also moments of dance. Members of the company elaborate on the themes of life and loss through their modern dance choreography. In such an intimate setting, this gives us a chance to ponder more… perhaps making us consider how we move through life and deal with loss. Each of us has our own internal experience, of course.

Sharing a joke, or was it a story? Photo by Heidy M.

Interestingly enough, during gatherings like funerals or memorial services, I find most of us share a few stories, some jokes, a drink, and certainly speak of losses, in general. Thus, Field Guide is an interesting piece to be a part of. From my perspective, I think it allows us to join in with others and share in the moment, process loss, and also allow ourselves to enjoy life. “Live a little”, as the saying goes. As of last night, the performances at SummerWorks have sold out. This should be an indication of the type of interest there is in immersive art pieces. For those of you who join Field Guide, I wish you a good journey!