ILLUSIVE: A Peek Into The Possibilities, Part One

In CircusWest’s ILLUSIVE: A Circus of Possibilities, we follow characters that have their worlds turned inside out (sometimes literally!). In order to find their way back out, they will need to learn to work together, and will put math, art, circus and the concept of reality to the test. The characters explore four worlds that come from aspects of the art of MC Escher: tessellation, fractals and spirals, polyhedral, and impossible geometry.

But before everything gets wonky, we open on the town of Illusive, smack dab in nice, normal reality. Just another day, as the inhabitants wake up, greet the morning, head off to work. Just another regular day. All is well. All is normal.

…Right?

WORLD ONE: Tessellation. This is what MC Escher is doing when he repeats a geometric image that interlocks with the images around it, so the pattern is never broken. In this world, we follow an Artist who heads off to a deli only to find it has been turned two-dimensional. It, and everything in it. The whole world, in fact, has become a 2D piece of art. How is the Artist going to get the world back the way it belongs?

And when is she going to get the sandwich she ordered?

Maurits Corenlis Escher was a Dutch artist of the early-mid 19th century. He worked mostly in woodcuts, drawing on nature and math to create mind-bending visual illusions. After all, as he says, “Are you really sure that a floor can’t also be a ceiling?” Good point, MC. Good point.

ILLUSIVE runs May 10 – 13, 2018. Shows at 12:30 and 7:00pm. Tickets, and more show info, online here.

Help us promote the show! Like and follow our Facebook event, https://www.facebook.com/events/179176182626975/.

MC said “My work is a game, a very serious game.” So let’s play! What is this a picture of?