Spring 2011: April 2011

SRL's art performances are a type of dark fantasy of a twisted world, a utopia of chaos. Their machines destroy, burn and crush what makes our world function as a society. Loud noises and destruction are part of the performance sucking the viewer into the performance, displacing the fear and concern of danger with excitement to see what it is all about. Other dark fantasy performance would place the viewer in a world of sadness and despair or an environment of creepy dark mystery. SRL's performances are to the public at large, to stimulate the realization of what they hold to keep life in pace. SRL's methods of performances also have a sort of whimsical aspect to them, one of the machines called the flippy box rolls around the "stage" during what looks like somersaults. For other performance artist, have a tree of thorns made for rusted metal would be consider a dark fantasy but the only similarity between that artist's approach to a fantasy and that of SRL is the use of material. SRL are "yanks with tanks" but they promoting and criticizing violence with machines. SRL uses of machinery and the devastating effects of it are promoting violence. They use flame throwers and sonic guns in the performances, most of which are things the have only been seen and used in war during WWII but that's how they criticize the it. WWII was a shock to the world for meaning reasons and one was the use of new technology in weaponry such as the flame throwers automatic weapons and etc. SRL choice Amsterdam as oppose to another country is because of the liberal and less tyranny of the government. For americans to be in a country such as Tripoli or Kandahar would probably seem like a war stunt or a show of american power, the populace wouldn't see the performance as art but instead as craziness.