Tunneling- Project Details

Tunneling by NASSA

About NASSA

Nadav Assor and Surabhi Saraf formed NASSA in Chicago, 2008. Their individual practices are combined in NASSA to create a rich, disturbing, organic dichotomy between vocal and visual overload, centered around a single narrative thrust: that of peeling back the layers of the mundane, plunging through the subcutaneous depths beyond and within, to wherever the tunnel may lead.

About the project

The visual narrative of “Tunneling” is defined through the process of cutting through the wall of the performance space from inside to outside, the different layers within the building wall slowly exposed until the outer, nighttime street is reached. This image is constructed in real-time by cutting miniature boards made of the different materials in the wall, combined through use of a specially constructed green-screen light-box and custom software which “memorizes” the appearance of each layer of material as it’s being cut. The cutting involves the use of surgery-like implements such as latex gloves, mask, tongs, etc., as well as various power tools. The layers are sometimes faithful to the original architectural materials found on location, but not always so: different strata may be revealed within the wall, some more surreal than others. Tubes with dripping liquid may be found along with plumbing pipes and thick, flesh-like insulation. Sometimes even maps are found, buried inside the tunnel…

The audio narrative of Tunneling consists of a multitude of voices singing verses, which are at first multiplied by many thousands, and slowly decimate while the wall is exposed until only one, the real voice of the audio performer, is left when the street outside is finally reached. An additional layer of domestic sounds related to the site is intertwined with the voices, juxtaposed with the sounds generated by the cutting of the wall-layers: hidden realities exposed and destroyed by the tunneling process.

Each iteration of Tunneling is somewhat site-specific: the artists bring their own cultural baggage but also respond to the location, the architectural context and the available materials. Previous versions of Tunneling included a tunnel through a typical, multilayered Chicago wall; multiple tunnels based on aerial photographs of the surrounding zone, executed over several days in an industrial area near Tel Aviv, Israel; and a tunnel through the wall of a Bolognese castle in Italy, complete with cracking plaster and mortar. The entire performance is somewhere
between live aesthetic surgery, a cooking show, a visual effects production, a military operation.

Technical Requirements
Materials
  • small budget for purchase or otherwise availability of a small amount of common construction materials: plywood, brick, plaster board (drywall), tiles, insulation, white wall paint, etc.- to be finalized according to location, 6-7 materials altogether, about 1 sq. meter of each.
  • assistance in acquiring these materials on location
Preparation space
  • Availability of a small workshop area for preparation of the materials for the performance, over the span of 2-3 days, with access to work table, electric power and water
Video
  • 1 video projector, high lumens and contrast ratio, with VGA input
  • VGA cable of sufficient length to connect the performer’s laptop to the projector
  • Projection surface: the entire surface of a white wall in the performance space (not a screen)
  • A Clamp for attaching to ceiling / lighting bars / etc., to which we will attach our video camera pointed directly down. Height must be  2.5 – 4 meters above center of large table (see below).
Audio
  • Four 15-20 inch powered speaker system with subwoofer
Lighting
  • 3 dimmable, diffusable spot lights with “barn doors” or BlackWrap to prevent light leakage
  • 2 additional table-top work lamps
General
  • sufficient electrical power strips and extension cords
  • 4 Tables:
  • Table 1: must be 60-70 cm high, 70-80 cm deep, 200 cm wide. Ideally can screw my special frame in to the table, otherwise need to fasten it to table with the following:
  • 4 clamps, 1 wooden board, 70 by 50 cm
  • Table 2: standard height, ~120 cm wide, 60-80 cm deep
  • Table 3: standard height, ~120 cm wide, 60-80 cm deep
  • Table 4: standard height, ~120 cm wide, 60-80 cm deep
  • 2 chairs: 1 regular, 1 high