TASK Party Builds Connections

Construct a house.
Make a plane and fly it with 15 people.
Do cartwheels across the room.
Tell five people they’re beautiful—in detail!
Gather 10 people and start a conga line.

Last week’s TASK Party at the College involved these playful, creative ideas—and many, many more. TASK was created by multimedia artist Oliver Herring (the College’s most recent Annenberg Visiting Scholar) as a collaborative project involving entire communities in an improvisational event. Well beyond an innovative, one-evening activity involving cardboard, paper, paint, cling wrap, tape, and other such materials, TASK is ultimately about connecting people.

The process is quite simple. Participants write “tasks” on a piece of paper, adding them to the “task pool.” Others pull a task from that pool and interpret it using the materials provided. Once a task is completed, the participant adds a new task to the mix. This open-ended, participatory structure creates unlimited opportunities to build momentum and converse with others.

“Everyone is a creative agent,” Herring says. “The main tool is your imagination, which is limitless. The way people interact with each other in our society tends to be very prescribed, and with TASK you engage people in ways they won’t question because it’s part of the structure.”

At the party, participants checked self-consciousness at the door and rediscovered the type of exuberant “play” known in childhood. “TASK brought out a childhood innocence, creativity, and joy that I never thought any event could bring out,” says sophomore Kent Heckel. “People felt the ability to be themselves and express creativity with no judgment. It was amazing.”

The TASK Force Makes Optimum Use of Morey Field House

TASK created an opportunity to expand a comprehension of what it means to make art, especially for a self-selected “Task Force” of students working alongside Herring to prepare for the event. They spent many hours with him in Morey Field House, considering the possibilities for supplies, lighting, and sound to make optimum use of the space. Junior Mason Williams, who introduced Herring for a talk in Wanamaker Hall the week prior to the event, found his time with the artist quite inspiring. “I had the amazing opportunity to get to know Oliver,” he said. “He made a permanent impact on my life as an artist and a person, and helped me see my potential as a leader.”

Bringing the Idea Back to Everyday Life

The idea of building connections is expected to have lasting impact on campus . . . and beyond. “The big learning opportunity . . . is the chance to answer the question, ‘Can I take what I’ve experienced in TASK back into my everyday life and cultivate my capacity for original thought, openness to others, spontaneity, and curiosity?’” says English professor Dinah Ryan, who worked with Herring and the students during his visit.

Sophomore Elizabeth Hagenlocher plans to do just that. “At TASK I quickly forgot about how others perceive me and devoted my energy to others,” she explains. “My hope is that, as we move forward, people will remember the importance of taking time from all the rushing around to be present with the people around us.”