For Immediate Release
Contact:  Sean Horton (415) 332-8867 ext. 104
 

ARE YOU SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YEAR IT IS?

ANTENNA kicks off its celebration of “20 Years of Walkmanology” with this interactive timeline
that blends science, art and history to propose a new perception of time.

Sausalito (August 13.7B) Most people will answer 2002 to the question above.  However, based on recent scientific research, it would be more realistic to answer 13.7Billion.  ANTENNA, the Sausalito-based ground-breaking theater company, is promoting the big picture of time – that time began at the Big Bang and all time should be counted forward from that point. As part of their on-going campaign to encourage people to embrace this revolutionary concept, ANTENNA announces a reprise of Artistic Director Chris Hardman’s interactive public art project, .:. sands .:. of .:. time .:. for two nights only on October 18 and 19 at Rodeo Beach in the Marin Headlands, Sausalito, California.  The universe may be expanding, but space is limited.

.:. sands .:. of .:. time .:. uses a 1,300 foot span of beach front as a metaphor for time.  The beach, which is raked into a Zen Garden of Time, encompasses the entire history of the universe.  The first 1,300 feet of this walk-through, interactive art experience represents the 13.7Billion years since the birth of the universe while the last grain of sand on this scale represents approximately the past 2000 years. This production invites you to embrace the big picture of the universe, to see the whole beach instead of just one grain of sand. The performance features sculptures and carvings embedded in and protruding from the sand, and is guided by and synchronized to ANTENNA’s trademark multi-layered soundtracks delivered via walkman.  Each audience member becomes a direct participant in the production as they embark on a 30-minute journey from the Big Bang to the present.  .:. sands .:. of .:. time .:. combines the beach setting, transformed by artistic manipulation, with words and music to create a tangible timeline, while introducing the AllTime concept. 

AllTime is Hardman’s revolutionary change in the perception of time, altering how humanity sees itself with respect to time’s continuum. It reflects the true nature of time, beginning at the Big Bang some 13.7Billion years ago.  By incorporating the latest scientific information about the age of the universe, AllTime is the first calendric system to measure time forward from the beginning of the universe.  It is also the only one not based on a cultural or religious epoch.  By expressing our true place in time, the AllTime system allows us to avoid the problems with all other systems, which actually count the majority of time backwards.  For example, the Gregorian calendar, which is the most widely used system, sets its zero point 2002 years ago at the birth of Jesus.  All time prior to that point is counted backwards or negatively as so many years B.C.  By choosing the Big Bang as its zero point, AllTime thus counts all of time forward to the present. And because it is not tied to any anthropocentric event as the basis for its calendar, AllTime is the first system that truly does away with the cultural and religious biases such other systems entail.  It is a universally shared understanding based on scientific fact. 

A full explanation of the AllTime theory and the science behind it can be found at our new website, www.alltime.info

As you move through ANTENNA’s Zen garden, you will experience such cosmological events as the Big Bang, the birth of the Sun, the explosion of stars and the formation of the Earth.  This unfolding story of the universe is set to a complex, often humorous soundtrack featuring music, sound effects and commentaries including the voices of eminent authors Stephen Jay Gould and Timothy Ferris, as well as man-on-the-street interviews.

To send a reviewer on either night to experience .:. sands .:. of .:. time .:. and meet with Chris Hardman, contact Erica Wobensmith via email at ewobensmith@antenna-theater.org or call (415) 332-8867 ext. 101.

This production begins ANTENNA’s celebration of “20 Years of Walkmanology”.  When Chris Hardman founded ANTENNA two decades ago, he also created a new dramatic art form.  By using a personal listening device to place each audience member or “audient” (to use Hardman’s more active term) at the center of the action, he revolutionized interactive theater by creating a unique experience for each individual every time they are immersed in an ANTENNA event.    Early productions used Walkmans to deliver their soundtracks, though the technology has advanced to the point where ANTENNA has utilized digital, infrared-triggered MP3 players in recent hits such as the long-running EUPHOR!UM. 

The first to use these techniques was HIGH SCHOOL, an insider’s view of Mt. Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, CA, that debuted there 20 years ago.  As each audience member moved through the school along a pre-determined course, they were listening to a charismatic young student’s voice via a Walkman and headphones and therefore experienced interactions with the environment and actors as if they were “inside his head.”  As part of the Walkmanology celebration, ANTENNA will be presenting a completely new version of HIGH SCHOOL, also at Mt. Tam High, based on fresh interviews and the participation of current students and other members of the school community.  The show will run in November and December of this year.

Editor’s Note: The graphic letters in the title .:. sands .:. of .:. time .:. are created by typing period, colon, period, space (non-italicized).  The words, “sands of time” should be italicized.

FOR CALENDAR EDITORS:

.:. sands .:. of .:. time .:. a 30-minute walk-through, graphic illustration of the history of the universe which incorporates sculptures and carvings in the sand set to a soundtrack of music, sound effects and professional commentaries, will run October 18 & 19 ONLY from 7:00 – 10:00pm.  Tickets are $10.00 and reservations are required.  Call 415-332-9454.

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