Project Description

Village Idiot is a generative storytelling event that encourages residents of a given community (Woodstock, VT, in its original performance) to share their recollections about the things they love and the things they endure as they live their lives in their neighborhoods, towns, cities. The Idiot learns about these communities, and the trials and tribulations of its people as he listens to the local lore. Concurrent with the storytelling, residents respond to a demographic survey that assesses their perception of the community in which they live, answering questions about median income, marital status, educational level, and so on. Their perceptions are compared to statistics from the 2010 US Census. Altogether the personal anecdotes and the demographic perceptions become the content of the Idiot’s performative report, delivered at the end of the day in a multimedia recounting.

Exhibitions:

The Woodstock Digital Media Festival, 2010