Whack-a-Mole | 2013

ABOUT THE WORK

The name of a pre-video and remarkably aggressive arcade game, the term whack-a-mole is often used in the military to refer to inferior opposing troops who keep re-appearing being cleared from a conflict zone. A work for 16 movers, WAM delves into the cycle of conflict, aftermath and recovery in a perpetual combat zone. A theme that Carl threads through a number of his works as he struggles to understand and grapple with the United States consistent war footing since the Vietnam War.

This driving and powerful half evening length work by Carl Flink, starts "embedded" in the audience, implicating them in the event that they are about to experience. Flink considers this work a hallmark of his style of ballistic and aggressive approach to movement centered work.

Original Soundscape by Greg Brosofske

Length: approx. 45 minutes

Premiered at The Cowles Center’s Goodale Theater, Minneapolis, Minnesota