If you were on a plane, you’d get a safety briefing before any flying happens. Some of us catch a lot more shows than we do flights, but safety guidance is far less common on the ground. South Korean choreographer and artist Geumhyung Jeong wants to address this disparity, in a not-quite-deadly-serious manner, in Asia TOPA’s Fire Drill Scenario.
The setup is interesting. As our instructor in this confined space, our host is suitably professional in their role, educating us before a hypothetical show. The show’s programme promises that “Geumhyung Jeong choreographs Arts House’s safety instructions with meticulous detail and dry wit.” The combination is partially successful in providing entertainment.
Thinking back to the flight example, a briefing has the basic information you would need in an emergency, and no more. This show takes a rather different tack. It is one thing for our host to walk slowly and purposely towards the venue’s exits, demonstrating how to follow the emergency evacuation plan projected on a wall.
Repeating this exercise for rotated views of the evacuation plan seemed an attempt at making an everyday idea into something quite absurd. There were some giggles in the crowd as the repetitions unfolded.
But the routine lacked surprise due to having only minor variations of note. It seemed that a number of us in the audience had already gotten the joke, and were ready for new territory.
A similar criticism could be levelled at a segment on detailed descriptions of safety gear. It was clear (very early on) that much of this would not be useful should an evacuation become necessary from this ground-floor venue.
As the briefing concluded and the “show within a show” commenced, we finally got to see what robots built by Jeong – tantalising us by being on display throughout – could do.
It wasn’t all that much in the end, but it did trigger the evacuation we had been trained for. This scene reinforced a feeling that the elements on offer didn’t combine to produce the level of excitement suggested by the show blurb.
The excessive focus on safety here (leaving little time for much else, like robots) might be trying to make a point about our times. These days, over-protective parents don’t allow their kids to have the kind of risky play they used to enjoy as children. Now, there is a growing awareness that parental fears are depriving children of developmental benefits.
We could argue that a similar type of risk aversion exists in sectors of the arts. Here, safety equates to not challenging audiences too much, and giving them more of what they already like even if the appeal is clearly fading.
It’s not impossible to believe that such reticence about risks could make it harder for audiences to get the thrill of something new, maybe even a little dangerous… Perhaps that’s why these robots didn’t get to live up to their potential?!
Even if my theory about Jeong’s intentions isn’t accurate, at least their “dry wit” was as promised, delivering some amusing moments.
Fire Drill Scenario
The Warehouse – Arts House, 521 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne
Performance: Sunday 9 March 2025 – 5.00pm
Information: www.artshouse.com.au
Image: Fire Drill Scenario – photo by Gregory Lorenzutti
Review: Jason Whyte