For Show Only—No Performers!

Designers Jerrard and Diana Smith reflect on their collaboration with R. Murray Schafer on the complete Patria Cycle since 1981. Their extreme design had to fit with Schafer's conceptions of both time of day and duration. Costumes had to withstand conditions of performance on lakes, in forests, in ravines and several international tours. In 2011 they mounted exhibitions of the costumes and other artifacts from these productions at the Clarington Museum and Archives (Bowmanville, Ontario) and at Design at Riverside Gallery (Cambridge, Ontario). In this critical discussion they consider how their design can move indoors and be appreciated by the spectators.