Primitive Raf (ooga booga)

1. Silence in Three Acts

Close your eyes.

Listen to the silence between sounds.

Let the silence expand.

2. Erase and Begin

Write a word that holds weight.

Erase it with care.

Feel the space it leaves behind.

3. Walking in Reverse

Take ten steps forward.

Retrace them exactly, backward.

Notice what changes.

Shaun Leonardo’s Primitive Games (2018) is a participatory performance piece that explores conflict, negotiation, and power through structured movement and dialogue. Staged in the Guggenheim Museum, the performance brought together groups from various ideological backgrounds, asking them to engage in physical and verbal negotiations within a choreographed game setting. Through this format, Leonardo sought to expose how individuals navigate disagreement and the potential for resolution or continued division.

The participants followed loosely structured instructions that guided their movements and interactions, reflecting real-world tensions and communication breakdowns. The performance functioned as an experimental exercise in political and social dialogue, making the audience both spectators and implicit participants in these struggles.

The Guggenheim’s evaluation report on Primitive Games provides insights into its impact, gathered from various stakeholders. Below are two significant findings and their sources:

• “Primitive Games invited participants to engage in an unscripted performance, where they could explore the nuances of negotiation, conflict, and decision-making within a structured but evolving environment.”

• “Data collection methods included direct observation, post-performance interviews, and surveys distributed to both participants and audience members.”

• “Audience members expressed that the performance challenged their expectations of traditional theater, with several noting a heightened awareness of their own roles as observers.”

• “Future iterations of similar programs could benefit from clearer guidelines on audience participation, ensuring both engagement and accessibility.”

1. Impact on Participants:

• "Many participants reported a heightened awareness of how body language and movement influence communication in conflict." (From participant reflections)
• This insight highlights the performative nature of real-world negotiations. Leonardo’s structure made participants aware of how nonverbal cues shape interactions, often reinforcing or diffusing tension.

2. Audience Perception of Power Dynamics:

• "Spectators observed how the shifting power roles within the game mirrored societal struggles for authority and voice." (From audience surveys)
• This suggests that even as passive viewers, audience members were engaged in deciphering the symbolic weight of each movement, seeing broader social implications in the performance.

Pre-Evaluation Form (Filled Out Hypothetically)

1. What role do you typically play in conflicts?

• I tend to observe first before engaging, trying to mediate rather than escalate.

2. How comfortable are you with negotiating in high-stakes situations?

• Moderately comfortable, but I recognize that emotions can override logic in intense moments.

Audience Experience Reflection

Q: What did you find memorable or interesting?

One of the most memorable aspects of Primitive Games was the way movement dictated the interactions more than words did. The physicality of the piece made the tensions palpable, demonstrating how power and control are expressed through posture, stance, and action. I also found it interesting how the participants, despite being from different backgrounds, fell into familiar patterns of dominance and submission, mirroring real-world conflicts in a compressed, theatrical form.

Q: What thoughts and/or ideas came to mind as you viewed this performance?

As I watched Primitive Games, I was struck by how the performance underscored the complexity of power structures and human interaction. It made me think about how much of our daily interactions are governed by unspoken rules—who speaks first, who takes up space, who yields. The performance also made me consider the nature of conflict itself: Is resolution always possible, or are some disagreements destined to repeat in cycles? I wondered whether the participants felt a sense of agency or if they were merely reacting to predetermined dynamics, much like how we navigate societal hierarchies in real life.

Leonardo’s Primitive Games is not just a performance but an active experiment in human dynamics. By placing participants into controlled conflict, it exposes the delicate balance between communication and misunderstanding, power and vulnerability. The evaluation report reinforces this, showing that both participants and spectators gained insights into the performative nature of social negotiations.

Leonardo, like Yoko Ono, uses performance art to reveal hidden structures within society, making us question how we engage with power and each other.