The performance was staged on a nearby parking lot, featuring various of SRL’s machines and robots. We saw a large Godzilla like alligator head and two paws suspended in the middle of the stage, surrounded by the various inventions of Pauline’s genius mind. There was only a thin wooden fence to protect the audience from the machines. As we looked around we noticed someone standing on the balcony of a nearby building and decided to give it a try. So we sneaked around the back alley to get access to the perfect view point for the show that was just about to begin.

Although the theme of the performance was called “The Fish Boy’s Dream”, it seemed that the puppet of the boy was having more of a nightmare than a dream, as he was continuously being stabbed in the head. The puppet was sitting at a desk beneath the left paw of the alligator figure and a sharp rod kept piercing the head and back of the puppet, pulling it ouf the chair. Meanwhile the crew ran around with their radio remote controls to choerograph the fights of the machines and robots as they were battling each other and the flame thrower mounted to a forklift torched the alligator.

However, the robots did not only fight each other, but they also kept banging against the thin wooden fence, driving the audience back and leaving a lasting memory. The show featured various robots such as the “Running Machine” and an improved version of the “Sneaky Soldiers”, a near life sized army of revolutionaries. (For more information see srl.org).

Most noteably of all the machines might have been the “Hovercraft” which was racing around and making insane noise at a level of 150 decibels which is louder than a cruise missile before its explosion.

It is through the spectacular performance and the special effects that the socio-political satire that SRL is enacting, might easily be overlooked. Again Pauline’s words ring in my head: “…we do not want you to trust us…” Then suddenly another explosion and dozens of small white human puppets are hurled into the air and cover the area. One member of the crew sees us standing on the balcony and starts throwing the puppets at us. One eventually hits me on my chest, leaving a black & wet spot as the puppets had been soaked in some liquid.

After the fire and the noise has died down, a strange feeling of happiness starts to dwell inside of me. A feeling of relief to have survived the war between the machines: I take my small little white human puppet friend home with me. After washing the black dirt from the puppet, I take pleasure in looking at the innocent white of my little human.

SRL “The Fish Boy’s Dream”
Date: January 21st – February 25th, 2006
Place: Fringe Exhibitions
Address: 504 Chung King Court, Los Angeles, CA 90012
https://www.srl.org