The Oracle, an immersive, living wax works, transformed The Brick, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, into an exhibition hall where artifacts and a series of live dioramas told the story of Iris Atalanta Lee. A historical figure from the first British Industrial Revolution, Lee was beheaded by the government for inciting a Luddite riot against the automation of stocking factories. After her publicly displayed head was stolen it traveled the world, purportedly sharing secrets from beyond the grave. Visitors were asked to determine for themselves whether this historic and Promethean oracle foretells the future.
Audiences were invited to engage in Iris’s life story through video, listening stations, interactive media displays, historic artifacts, and interactive, performed dioramas that looped continuously throughout the event. The Operating Theater is known for an inimitable phantasmagoric style, an astounding eye for detail, and a mischievous sense of humor and The Oracle brought to life an incredible world that went beyond ordinary science-fiction or fantasy to forecast an uncanny and incomparable prophecy of the future.
Iris’s story begins in Nottingham, England, in 1812 and continues through 200 years through modern times. It follows her head as it travels around the global. Lord Byron, the romantic poet who influenced Mary Shelley to write Frankenstein, told true accounts of his friend, Iris Leigh and was in possession of the head for years, passing it to his daughter, Ada Lovelace (considered by many to be the first computer programmer in 1834). It was her meeting famed author Charles Dickens that set Iris on her journey.
The Oracle was devised by a talented team of interdisciplinary artists:
Story and Curation: Jason Schuler
Managing Director: Dori Ann Scagnelli
Producer: Sandra Garner, Lingua Franca Arts
Production Stage Manager: Fred Drenkow
Performances by Kourtney Rutherford, Ben Becher, Alessandro Magania, Estelle Lee, Christine Holt, and Ariel Whitfield
Live Dioramas Written by Alison Folland, Eleanor Hutchins, Jennifer McKenna, Jason Schuler and Jon Leon Torn
Artifacts & Interactive Installations by Marnie Jaffe, Brittany Loesch, Ken Nintzel, Eva Peskin, Jason Schuler and Eva Von Schweinitz
Videography, Editing, & Effects: Keith Chandler Jr.
Exhibit Design: Brittany Loesch
Lighting Design: Jamie Roderick
Costumes: Jennifer Paar
Public Relations: Kippy Winston Media
Technical Advisors: Mike Taylor and Dr. Stelios Sidiroglou-Doukos
This commercial set off a successful Kickstarter campaign. Performances by Jason Schuler and Kourtney Rutherford. Videography, editing and visual effects by Keith Chandler.
This video, presented within the exhibit, is a dramatization of Iris Lee’s encounter with Emperor Hirohito.
Performed by Estelle Lee and Kourtney Rutherford
Written by Eleanor Hutchins
Directed by Jason Schuler
Videography, editing and visual effects by Keith Chandler