<\/p>\n
Whimsy and thought-provoking art installations are coming to the Mancos Valley this weekend for the Purple Fox Conundrum.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an outdoor theater and art experience, taking over the Sacred Song Farm a few miles south of town on Oct. 4-5. Inspired by Santa Fe\u2019s Meow Wolf, the Purple Fox Conundrum will ask audience members to think about the relationship between technology and the natural world \u2013 and give them a chance to loosen up with a dose of the wacky.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe often get really serious and involved in our lives, and so (we\u2019re) giving audience members an opportunity as adults and kids to be playful and creative,\u201d said Sarah Syverson, executive producer of the Purple Fox Conundrum.<\/p>\n
The idea for the event first came about after Syverson visited Meow Wolf, an immersive, multimedia art installation in Santa Fe.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd walked out of it thinking, wow, that was really awesome and interesting, and what would it be like to do something like that outside in the Mancos Valley in a more wildlands and agricultural environment that\u2019s unique to the Mancos Valley, with the whimsy and wildness of the Mancos artists and performers that live in the area and region,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
After observing some other immersive theatrical experiences, she and her fellow organizers began talking seriously about making the Purple Fox Conundrum happen. Initially, they were planning on producing the show in 2020, but it seemed to come together sooner, Syverson said.<\/p>\n
Along with Syverson, the event\u2019s producers include Margaret Paradise as the creative director, Liz Bohm as set director, and Kellie Pettyjohn as story director.<\/p>\n
The event will be open Friday and Saturday evening at Sacred Song Farm, a ranch at the base of Menefee Mountain. Audience members will wander along a 1-mile course through grass and sagebrush, passing through portals and pausing at various stops along the way, Syverson said.<\/p>\n
The stops will feature a wide range of artwork, performers, and vignettes from about 30 artists. Many of the installations ask questions about the role technology should play in our world today \u2013 and how it should interrelate with the natural world.<\/p>\n
\u201cPondering the questions of what does technology mean to me in my life, and what does nature mean to me in my life, and what do those two things together mean to me,\u201d Syverson said. \u201cAnd without judgment one way or the other, because we could not have done this production without the technology available to us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Audience members will drop by the Church of the Cell Phone and listen to a sermon by Preacher Siri.<\/p>\n
They will also meet two mock food critics, who will ask attendees to compare two delicacies \u2013 one being a store-bought Concord grape jam on Wonder Bread and the other local plum jam on artisanal bread, the more \u201cnatural\u201d option.<\/p>\n
Some of the stops will feature \u201cAlice in Wonderland\u201d-style twists, encouraging audience members to shift perspectives. Artist-participant Don Crock built a replica chair four times the size of its original model, while the \u201cWilderness of Mirrors and Portraits\u201d exhibit will have animals in 18th century garb but accompanied by contemporary objects.<\/p>\n
\u201cA very tactile, very sensory-oriented experience,\u201d Syverson said.<\/p>\n
The event will take place from 5-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4, and from 3-8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5. It\u2019s currently sold out, but there may be opportunities to volunteer for two hours on Saturday or Sunday in exchange for a comp ticket \u2013 those interested in doing so can email Sarah Syverson at highwitproductions@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n The event is not recommended for children 5 and younger. For more information, visit the Purple Fox Conundrum website.<\/p>\n