'Relics' premieres at Guthrie Theater

Imagine 300 years from now, looking back at the past and trying to divine the meaning of objects that have all been shorn of their contexts. What would you make of a staple remover, a tanning bed or an iPhone?

Such queries animate "Relics," an immersive performance piece that is set after a cataclysm has wiped away humankind's memory and technological achievements.

The show, which opens Friday in the studio at the Guthrie Theater, was put together by a trio of artists. Visual artist Nick Golfis has worked for nearly a decade in the prop shop at the Guthrie. He is joined by highly regarded Twin Cities actor Sarah Agnew and New York-based director and performance artist Chantal Pavageaux.

"Relics" originated several years ago when Golfis had the idea to do an exhibit centered on "the objects we hold so dear today," he said.

But then he and Agnew — the two are married — had drinks with Lauren Ignaut, who programs the Guthrie studio.

"Lauren was asking what we'd like to see in the studio," he said. "And the more we talked about the innovative work we'd like to see, the more we realized that what we were discussing was a work like this. It has taken a couple of years, but here we are."

Dystopia in the air

"Relics" premieres at a time when dystopian futures are a big part of the zeitgeist. Doomsday preppers are still a thing, for example. The hyperventilation over Ebola in America has calmed down, but something else will come along soon, said Pavageaux.

"We live at a time when there's real fear, from Y2K to some global pandemic, that some grand events will not only destroy information and technology, but also us," she said. "Such fears, such knowledge, can be used to gain or maintain power. This show also is about how societies can be controlled."

The production is set in a brave new world lorded over by a group called the Truemen. They believe that they are the original humans — that no one came before them. They are doubted by the "Anarcheologists," who have gathered evidence that other people have existed. The objects are now gathered in a furtive exhibit that is about to open. "Relics" is that opening, a promenade-style event with life-size dioramas and re-enactments of daily life.

The production, which has a cast of 14, is informed by historical re-enactors like those at Colonial Williamsburg, said Agnew. The creative team also drew on the British Museum's famous book "History of the World in 100 Objects."

"An art show would be easier than this," laughed Agnew. "We're not only creating an exhibit but the whole culture behind it and the performance elements. The most surprising challenge is trying to put your head around the logic we've created."

Because the audience for each show is limited to about 80, there will be two performances per night.

"This has been a really interesting exercise in making us reflect on our lives today," Agnew said. "I think audiences will get what we've gotten, and see the world that we live in, and the objects we hold so dear, in new ways."

Rohan Preston • 612-673-4390