ENTERTAINMENT > THE FISHERMAN
The Fisherman sits in his office chair, slowly dozing off (Madison Mae Parker/Performing the Rural TA)
The Fisherman continues to sleep as day turns to night
The Fisherman hangs his hat and jacket on a coat rack before taking off his shoes and stepping into the square of turf that holds his ‘pond’. Donning a large puffer jacket and bucket hat embroidered ‘Tis Himself” he poses himself in a large office swivel chair and picks up his bright pink rod, already cast into the tiny inflatable pool filled to the brim with balloons. Over the duration of the five minute performance a short day/night/day cycle is shown while the fisherman seemingly falls deeper and deeper asleep in his chair. The stars and crickets come out, guided by ‘ghosts’, and the fisherman sleeps on. Finally, the sun rises once again and suddenly the fisherman, startled out of his sleep with a catch, flails out of his diorama, balloons and catch sailing over the grass, tipping over chair and body.
Having fulfilled his duty, The Fisherman falls out of character
The rural fisherman lives in a diorama- peacefully nodding off in a small rowboat with a tackle box full of glittering bait and worms, slowly getting sunburnt, embroidered bucket hat and all…or at least they posit themselves in my mind as such. I’ve only gone fishing once when I was about six or seven. My father and I had picked out a bright pink barbie fishing rod at Walmart before heading to Wisconsin with the rest of our family for our yearly (I think it was yearly, it could have been every other) family reunion. After spending a few days with everyone, slowly building up my excitement to use my newly bought rod, it was finally the day. We went to the short dock on a lake that I do not remember the name of that was handily located next to the hotel most of our relatives were staying at, and my dream was quickly shattered- I had not put together that fishing required stabbing worms (or any sharp objects in general) and slowly realized that if I did catch a fish (godforbid) that it would be a living creature that moves and breathes and that I would be in charge of releasing. An agonizing few minutes went by and though I had been told it was unlikely I would catch anything unless first time luck allowed it, my actual luck ran out. I caught a small bluegill and immediately started crying, unable to take the hook out of the mouth and unconsolable…I don't remember much else about that year's family reunion.
The Fisherman stands as a character, he knows he is performing; he is aware of the boundaries of his scene and is comfortable within this role. The audience is lulled into his wait, knowing that fishing is just that. “There’s a reason they call it fishing and not catching”, as my good friend and partner Tim likes to remind me. The Fisherman is a diorama, a photo of a man waiting, watching, resting, he is the idea of a man. Of course, there is always the fish, or at least there always is for this fisherman and his rest is broken. Quite literally falling out of the scene The Fisherman flails with the knowledge that this is the end of his dream, this character serves one facet only.
By EROS C BACKUS | eroscbackus@gmail.com | coat rack, square of turf, barbie fishing rod, inflatable pool, balloons, glow in the dark stars, embroidered bucket hat, sixteen years of aversion to fishing
Originally Made: October 30th, 2023
The Fisherman, having caught a fish, struggles to remain in the scene