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Smoky
Hill River Outpost
Infiltrating the heartland of America, the Center for Tactical Magic worked
with the Salina Art Center, the City of Salina (Kansas), and a dozen local
high school students to construct a 30 ft. surveillance clubhouse directly
behind the back of the city park's Statue of Liberty. An amalgam of playhouse,
pyramid, pentagon, prison, and panopticon, the multiple-level structure
was comprised of various access points, observation areas, and an exotic
range of surveillance mechanisms. Combining high-tech equipment (pinhole
cameras, wireless transmitters, thumbprint scan access, radio scanners,
electronic bugging devices, and more) with more arcane means of information
acquisition (telepathy, astral projection, ouija, tarot, astrology, crystal
gazing, and others) the Outpost was the physical manifestation of a fantastical
integration of extra-sensory perception.
Enclosed within a 120 ft. pentagonal perimeter of chainlink fence, the
entire structure materialized as a crude pyramid incorporating a mish-mash
of construction materials and access points ranging from gates and sliding
bookcases to two-way mirrors and false doorways. The lowest of the three
levels consisted of the central security gate, the yard (with sprinkler),
a peep nook, the Audio Surveillance Chamber (ASC), and the Comfortable
Containment Unit (CCU) which included a camouflage couch, tinted security
domes, a mounted pig's head with secret snout-cam, and a clear-cased prison
TV (that received a wireless feed from a camera mounted on Liberty's bosom
at the park's entrance). Level two granted access to the observation deck,
the Genie (a 30 ft scissor lift which provided a bird's eye view of the
park), and the Control Room which featured multiple surveillance monitors,
police and cell phone scanners, a crystal ball with a video feed, and
coffee & donuts (the fuel of authority). The third and highest level
transcended all mechanisms of control and provided occupants with a heightened
perspective from the top of the pyramid.
The Smoky Hill River Outpost was envisioned simultaneously as 1) a critical
attempt to construct a home in a land of security; 2) an innocent-looking,
temporary autonomous zone that features an arsenal of tactical tools;
3) a gateway to the liberatory potential of the magical and creative arts;
4) a social experiment examining and exposing the inherent manipulations
attached to issues of security; and 5) an easily-consumed and entertaining
gesture that encourages the close examination and breaching of security
systems. To fully realize these goals, the Center for Tactical Magic also
coordinated several events at the Outpost, including: a free Dance Party
featuring local DJs; a Graffiti Workshop for teens; a drop-in tour of
Target's security system; Restricted-Access Periods (boys only, girls
only, kids only, teens only, adults only); and an Astral Projection Workshop
where participants infiltrated the White House and other restricted sites
using their astral bodies. Together, the magical and the technological
joined forces to explore the relationship between homeland security and
the mystification of technology.
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