SOLICITING PROPHECY | scapegoatcarnivale

Artistic Statement

Visual Arts Commission

Pocket Prophecies

PRODUCTION TEAM

Produced by

Scapegoat Carnivale

Curated and Dramaturged by

Alison Darcy

and Joseph Shragge

Graphic and web design by

Claudia Leblond

Publicity by

B-Rebel Communications

Social Media by

Trevor Barrette

Live stream by

Lindsay-Dora Germain

and Paul Shore

Sound composition by

Devon Bate

Launch: Feb. 15, 2021, 20h ET

Online Feb. 2021 – Feb. 2022

Scapegoat Carnivale is located on unceded Indigenous lands of the Kanien’kehá:ka Nation who are recognized as the custodians of the lands and waters on which we work and live. Tiohtià:ke/Montréal is historically known as a gathering place for the Iroquois and Algonquian people including Algonquin-Anishinaabe, Atikamekw, and Huron-Wendat. Today, it is home to a diverse population of Indigenous and other peoples. As an arts organization we support Article 84 of the calls to action recommended by the Truth and Reconciliation commission.

READ THE

CALLS TO ACTION

This project was made possible by the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts, Conseil des arts de Montréal, and the Jarislowsky Foundation. We are proud to offer these artistic works to our audiences free of charge, however we would ask our viewers to consider making a donation to our company, if you are able. Scapegoat Carnivale is a registered charity and every donation will receive a receipt for tax purposes.

Please click on the donation button to be directed to our donation page.

SEE THE TRAILER VIDEO

Une Soirée au Village - Belá Bartók

arranged/performed by Devon Bate

INTERVIEW WITH

ALISON DARCY AND

JOSEPH SHRAGGE

CURATORS AND DRAMATURGES

Alison Darcy (Montreal, QC)

Joseph Shragge (Montreal, QC)

Welcome!

It is with great pleasure that we present Soliciting Prophecy. Faced with the repeated closures of theatres due to the pandemic, we created an online writers' room to explore the theme of prophecy

as it relates to today, and produce a series of artistic responses as digital performances.

The word prophecy is an ancient Greek compound meaning to tell

in advance, but in its long and varied history, prophets have also criticized authority, admonished nations, and conveyed divine messages through frenzied performances. We are approaching prophecy as a conduit for our fellow artists’ deep anxieties and hopes, their intuitive responses and visions of the world to come.

The group includes artists from Montreal, Vancouver,

Mexico City, and Los Angeles.

Please explore the site to see our ancillary project Pocket Prophecies, featuring short text prophecies, ruminations, and anecdotes by additional international artists, and an oil painting titled Falling Cherub by painter Benjamin Klein. You will also find photos and bios of all our artists, and interviews with the digital artists.

We would like to thank the whole team who put this project together. We hope you enjoy the work.

Sincerely,

Alison Darcy and Joseph Shragge

Co-dramaturges/Curators

Co-Artistic Directors, Scapegoat Carnivale

soliciting Prophecy image.jpg

Clockwise from top left: Alexis Diamond, Omari Newton, Julie Tamiko Manning, Mary Jane Gibson, Conor Wylie, Alison Darcy, Joseph Shragge, Gitanjali Jain, Alexander Nemser

Alexis Diamond

Mary Jane Gibson

Gitanjali Jain

Julie Tamiko Manning

Alexander Nemser

Omari Newton

Conor Wylie

DIGITAL WORKS

YOU KNOW,

YOU'RE RIGHT

On the last day on earth, fraternal twins debate what awaits them on 'the Other Side.' The tension between the diametrically opposed lifestyles of these loving, but divided siblings, and how they choose to spend their last living moments, makes for an evening fraught with anxiety.

Omari Newton (Vancouver, BC)

INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST

WHOEVER PUT ME UP HERE, YOU JUST WAIT 'TILL I GET DOWN!

A woman gets off of her pedestal.

Julie Tamiko Manning (Montreal, QC)

INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST

PROPHETTE

Lula, a young girl who is a descendant of whales, learns from her ancestors that she must play a role in altering the course of our climate crisis, as well as revive the well-being of whales on the planet. This hand-drawn, ethereal animation features real whale-songs as a central part of the soundtrack.

Gitanjali Jain (Mexico City, MX)

INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST

Interview between Gitanjali Jain and Richard Sears, Marine Biologist

ARTISTIC COLLABORATOR

Ana J. Bellido, Illustrator

FIRST FLUSH OF A
GLEAMING NEW AGE

In a near post-pandemic future, Myriam follows the signs revealed to her in a dream to fulfill the prophecy of the Great Flush.

Alexis Diamond (Montreal,QC)

Bio/Pic

INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST

ARTISTIC COLLABORATOR

Juana Rubio, Videography and Sound design

DIMENSION IN

THE CLOUDS

The planets align, the bridge appears, and a brave child steps across to tell us what’s on the other side. Created and animated by a kid and a kid-at-heart.

Conor Wylie (Vancouver, BC)

INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST

ARTISTIC COLLABORATOR
Felix MacDuff, Prophet
Bio/Pic

PRIMORDIAL
PROPHECY

A dying woman seeking to find what awaits her on the other side pulls open an ancient door to another psychedelic dimension.

Mary Jane Gibson (Los Angeles, CA)

Bio/Pic

INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST

ARTISTIC COLLABORATOR

Urs Mann, Videographer

GOD'S
EYEBROWS

A retelling of the Bible story of King Saul and the Witch of Endor. Picture Larry David as a Trumpian King Lear who visits an illegal healer on the eve of his unraveling.

Alexander Nemser (Los Angeles, CA)
Bio/Pic

INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST

VISUAL ARTS COMMISSION

Benjamin Klein (Brooklyn, NY)

Falling Cherub, 2020

Claire Jenkins

Mike Glazer

Michael Mackenzie

Thami aka Mbongo

Johanna Nutter

Rebecca Singh

Anders Yates

POCKET PROPHECIES

pocket prophs.jpg - A grid of 9 images, a mix of headshots and the Soliciting Prophecy project graphic. The graphic is a cloud of black smoke inside a triangle against a white or black background over the words Soliciting Prophecy.

clockwise from top left: white logo, Johanna Nutter, Thami aka Mbongo, Michael Mackenzie, Mike Glazer, black logo, Claire Jenkins, Anders Yates, Rebecca Singh

PROPHET KNOWS

THE PUZZLE

Claire Jenkins (Melbourne, AUS)

DOWNLOAD CLAIRE JENKINS PUZZLE

I SAW THE FUTURE FROM MY BATHTUB

Mike Glazer (Los Angeles, CA)

A PROPHECY:

‘IT WILL GET BETTER’

Michael Mackenzie (Montreal, QC)

CAMAGU

(Be honoured)

Thami aka Mbongo (Johannesburg, SA)

NUTTER'S

PROPHECY

Johanna Nutter (Montreal, QC)
Bio/Pic

BLINDNESS GAIN

Rebecca Singh (Toronto, ON)

I PREDICT YOU WON’T FIND A BETTER DEAL

Anders Yates (Toronto, ON)

PROPHET KNOWS THE PUZZLE by Claire Jenkins. A 13 by 13 square grid word search puzzle. The text in a sidebar reads quote I went back to finish creating this puzzle, but had misplaced the list of words. I had to do the search to find them. I spend a lot of time figuring out what I already know. unquote Underneath, under the heading word search, the following text appears in columns quote Divination, Doom, Fate, Future, Intermediary, Manifestation, Messaged, Oracle, Precognition, Prediction, Prophecy, Religion, Sight, Vision. unquote At the bottom of the image the following text is written quote Thinking about prophecy led me to puzzles. I think it’s the only time I am compelled to decipher the vision of a creator unquote.

I SAW THE FUTURE FROM MY BATHTUB by Mike Glazer. In an effort to connect with a deeper Universal Truth, I swallowed a handful of Mushrooms, washed them down with a Gatorade that was mostly everclear, smoked a joint, and bumped Pet Sounds while soaking in a hot bath. Here's what I saw. In 2032: Vanity fair ad: $15 bottles of Dasani air held by a smiling Jennifer Aniston in a hazmat suit: quote Breathe Beautifully unquote. 2054: Moths hold a press conference : Quote Done with porch lights - now we're into Yankee Candles. unquote. 2108: Elon Musk does the Impossible: Invents car side mirrors that show objects exactly as close as they appear. 3207: World War 9: Spiders battle robots for control over the human race. Both lose to dolphins at the last minute when the dolphins decide they're tired of everyone's shit. 4049: Finally: Pringles widens the can so your hand can fit.

A PROPHECY: IT WILL GET BETTER by Michael Mackenzie. One time I said quote a great sadness fills up my nostrils unquote An early effort (and people laughed) Understandable. Language - human language - is complicated. Challenging… They fed me poetry. And sympathetic dialogue. AlphaGo Zero was fed Go Games. It was unbeatable. The pandemic, humans made clothes for their robot-cleaners Names, talking to them (they don’t talk back). Now they call me up/ Flat rate - I say to them - quote Yes, I am sad too unquote. Empathy… They are lonely. They like to talk, and listen too. I tell them things like quote it will get better unquote. I know just what to say.

CAMAGU (Be honoured) by Thami aka Mbongo. Those who think they know what we don’t say… A prophecy is a message inspired by God, a divine revelation. They know that… A prophet or prophetess is one who is a spokesperson for God. In my homeland, I have seen so many fake prophets or prophetesses using the name of God. How should I consider my own African ancestors, the living-dead, when it comes to prophecy? Our ancestors reveal themselves through dreams, calamity, sickness,barrenness, bad luck and through celebration ceremonies. I have been told so many prophecies by my ancestors. Are our ancestors not spokespeople of God?

NUTTER'S PROPHECY by Johanna Nutter. I prophesy Prof - a - sigh A difference of opinion On a grand scale, not graphed or charted But felt. We will get to know each other Grown ups and growing ups Pets and petters Flatmates and hood mates Cities in countries Countries on continents Hello-over-theres Will cross oceans. We will look and listen. And our minds will change. And when they do We will not speak for others We will not prophesy Prof - a - sigh We will not blame the fates, the famous, or the fables We will speak for ourselves We will speak for us. And then We’ll stop speaking. For a time All will be bliss. Until the chatter begins again.

BLINDNESS GAIN by Rebecca Singh. Quote text written in Braille characters quote The future is accessible, The future is accessible.The future is accessible, The future is accessible, The future is accessible end quote. Attributed to Annie Segarra #thefutureisaccessible Below this is the text: One day soon I will come for you Whisper in your ear something that you can feel Pull You. Inside. The story. You won’t miss a beat.

I PREDICT YOU WON’T FIND A BETTER DEAL by Anders Yates. Wanna know something? Don’t worry, first prediction is on the house. Here you go: The further we get into the future, the harder it will get to predict. You might think that the closer you get to something, easier it is to see, but you haven’t been in the predictions racket for as long as I have. Prophesizing is all about noticing patterns from the past and applying them forwards. The trouble is the world’s getting more chaotic; hence, predictions get less accurate the later you make them. Too much chaos in the source material. I discovered this concept when I noticed that over the course of my predictions career, I’ve gradually gotten worse at it. That’s why if you’re in the market for a prophecy, you’ve got to act fast! Buy now! I’m offering great value for money today, but quality is dropping rapidly! What are you waitin for? I’d tell you, but it’s already getting fuzzy…