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Tango Panopticon
a Worldwide Sensual Incursion on Video Surveillance

FAQ’s

Is this political activism or art or tango?

Good question.  It could be considered all of these.  I prefer to let people decide for themselves how it is to be interpreted. One thing I feel very strongly about is that the event itself on the street is NOT political.  It is a milonga pure and simple.  For me the event is not successful as art unless it is first successful as a dance party.  For more information about how or why this actually might be called art I refer you to various writings on “social sculpture” or “relational aesthetics”, which is an emerging trend in contemporary art.
Nicholas Bourriaud, Relational Form
Nicholas Bourriaud, Glossary from “Relational Aesthetics”
Sal Randolf, “In the Conversation (Art Talk Outside the Cube)
Claire Bishop, Antagonism and Relational Aesthetics

Is this legal?

Another good question.  It depends. Different places have different laws about public gatherings; the numbers allowed without a permit, and the use of amplified music. I have found that less that 30 has not been a problem and I have yet to have anyone complain about the music. Tangueros tend to be a well dressed crowd and, fair or not, this seems to validate otherwise unacceptable behavior. That all being said, the legal situation you find yourself in is certainly out of my control and may be out of your control, ultimately you must decide what level of legal risk to take and accept the consequences of those choices.

I still don’t get what surveillance cameras have to do with May Day and this wonderful dance that I am addicted to.  Can you please explain this more clearly?

Tango was invented by a culturally diverse group of primarily immigrant laborers along the Rio Plata over a hundred years ago.  It has continued to evolve as an immigrant cultural form.  Always out of place but always surviving and often thriving ‘out of context’. Surveillance by authorities has long been a strategy used to limit workers right and increasingly surveillance is everywhere. One of the re-occurring themes in this tango intervention series is the rights of individuals within contexts of structures of authority.  Public surveillance can be seen as an obvious threat to individual rights.  There is also just something fascinating about calling attention to otherwise unnoticed public surveillance.  This is already something of a established public art intervention tradition, first manifested most notably by the group Surveillance Camera Players.  To carry on this Dada inspired tradition with a form as intimate, expressive and passionate as Argentine Tango I find particularly evocative.

Are you selling something?

No.  At some point in the future I may sell digital prints related to this series in galleries, but the Tango Interventions themselves are completely non-commercial, and it is my intention to keep them that way indefinitely.

Can I use this event to sell something?

That is not what this event is about, but I can’t really stop you, can I?  However the intention of these events is to focus on the present moment of the dancing and the excitement of transforming a location with tango, and transforming each dance encounter with the unique location and social dynamic that an unexpected dance intervention creates.

Are you associated with any organization, business, or other group?

Nope. But coincidently this event occurs during Amercan Dance Week and very close to International Day of Dance, and I am just fine with that.

Are you getting paid to do this?

I teach in the School of Art & Art History at the University of South Florida. They have supported this art intervention series with various grants, which have defrayed the projects production costs but not nearly covered them. The Florida Cultural Council has granted me a Interdisciplinary Artist Fellowship for 2009 which also helps.  With that factored in, and without any compensation for my time, I am almost breaking even.  Which, in this kind of artmaking practice, is actually doing pretty well.

Why are you doing this?

I find it interesting. The events themselves are completely exhilarating. The movement of ideas from the physical realm of the dance to the non-physical realm of the Internet completely fascinates me. I very much enjoy that the work is both apolitical and political depending upon how you encounter it. In this sense Tango Intervention is part of a 10-year artistic investigation of combining physical media with Internet components to investigate along contradictory paths. I see this an a social questioning of the way that we now live double (or profoundly multiple, and often contradictory) lives in the physical world and through the World Wide Web.  More about this can be found my website www.h-e-r-e.com.

Is this basically a tango flashmob?

On many levels, yes. There is a euphoric excitement that most all participants feel during Tango Interventions, and this is really in tune with the experience of a great flashmob event. But on other levels it is much more complex in that it consciously asks more critical questions, and engages a different contemporary and historical discourse by contextualizing itself within the art world, and creative social practice.  However as I said at other places on this website, I encourage participation in this project in whatever way it speaks to you.  The ‘art’ and the ‘meaning’ is ultimately not as important to me as the experience of the dances shared in startling places.

Can any level of dancer participate?

Unequivocally yes.  You may invite anyone of any level to join you in this action. None of my Tango Interventions are professional “dance performances” – though many great professional dancers have participated.  Tango Interventions are really “social dance” events, and I always use and recommend that you use a standard tanda and cortina structure to encourage the mixing of dancers during the event.  But this also is up to you.

How do I choose a location?

It is easier than you think. Surveillance cameras are everywhere. Think of a few interesting public places where you might want to dance and then go take a look and you will very likely find that one or more of them are monitored with cameras.  I also encourage you to talk this over with other tangueros, friends and family.

What are the considerations regarding safety for the public and participants?

In my 10 Tango Interventions completed so far there has been nobody hurt in any way other than a few worn out shoes and blisters from dancing too long on pavement.  However any public event has a certain degree of risk.  Ultimately it is the choice of the people involved to accept those risks and I can assume no responsibility for any injuries or other misfortunes of any kind occurring during any of these tango interventions.

What’s with Dressing all in Black?

For the sake of creating a consistent visual statement for the event I request that all participants dress entirely in black.  Style of dress does not matter.  If it’s a warm day and you want to wear short shorts, then wear short shorts, but wear BLACK short shorts. Remember that it may be pavement that you are dancing on, not polished hardwood, so choose your footwear carefully. Hats and sunglasses are recommended if it’s hot and sunny, and long coats and wooly hats if it is cold. By wearing different styles but all the same color we are visually together without actually wearing a limiting uniform.  It makes for better pictures too.

How can I provide music for the dancers?

Some options I have used:
-Amplified music from battery operated equipment.
-PA systems plugged in to AC outlets. (Check before hand if the outlets are actually wired)
-Small personal speaker systems carried in pouches around the neck of one of each couple.
-Headphones fed by a mp3 player carried by one of each couple.
-Dancing to silence.  (Rather difficult, but very interesting)

Still have questions? Please email tangointervention@gmail.com and I will get back to you as soon as i can. I look forward to hearing from you and sharing this very special experience with you on May Day, 2009.

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For more info please contact tangointervention@gmail.com