Ivan's Dogs: We Provide the Smiles
4 June 2006
Sideshow Festival, Nottingham - UK

Reactor’s approach to blurring the lines between the audience and performer sunk to new heights whilst creating the closing event for Sideshow. A fictional art collective from Derry, Northern Ireland was created as a front to conceal Reactor's involvement in Sideshow. Given the name Ivan's Dogs; this group supposedly always hide their identities and involved the audience in physical, possibly dangerous events, termed 'occasions'.

The identity and history of Ivan's Dogs was developed through extensive research, which included visits to Northern Ireland in order to falsify documentation of previous 'occasions'. The aim was to solidify and make believable the persona of Ivan's Dogs whilst still maintaining Reactor's core interest in keeping and increasing audience participation in the work.

Billed as their first event outside of Ireland, 'We Provide The Smiles' was developed through intensive surveying and scouring of the Nottinghamshire landscape. This 'occassion' provided these numerous seven-person crews the opportunity to rush around the beautiful countryside of Bunny, Cotgrave and Thrumpton in search of what they had come expecting. Each crew were encouraged to work as a team as they went about setting up situations for each other, creating a chain of linked actions connecting all the crews throughout their different experiences.

“Ivan’s Dogs have stolen the show!”
(Audience response at Reactor VS Ivan’s Dogs discussion)