It will take you longer to read this contextual information than to play this solo, micro Larp, about a transformative experience - The instructions are almost fully self-contained in the Larp.

You'll need: a printer to print the zine, and a pair of scissors to assemble it (Big thanks to StarWest for creating instructions for how to fold a single page zine!) 

You don't need context to play this Larp.  

For the nerds who want context:

Emanation is a byproduct and reflection of two and a half years of graduate school in a low residency program. I spent time at week-long artist retreats every semester, but I also spent a lot of time functionally alone on my journey — Whether at my desk in my apartment, writing in a coffee shop, or tucked away in a library; the irony is not lost on me as someone studying community spending a lot of time alone. I of course had my lovely advisors, my friends as cheerleaders, and the community around me to support me, but at the end of the day, one must write their thesis alone.

Speaking of thesis, this Larp zine was the 4th page of my thesis, “Thy Name That is My Enemy — Art, Larp, and Community”. My degree is a Master of Fine Arts in Interdisciplinary Arts with a concentration in Decolonial Arts, and the way my thesis is written and presented is a reflection of the program, my studies, and all of the ancestors and relatives who live with me.

I knew my thesis was going to be weird, but I wanted it to be able to show this art form and my art in its actual form, not just in the theoretical and reflectional. So, I challenged myself to write a single page solo Larp that could be easily played while reading my thesis. So one could really embody the embodied practice that is Larp, and understand how it is integrated into the community work that is also essential to what I do. 

I’m presenting the section that leads into it, an excerpt from the section “Artist Statement”.

I’ve never felt an affinity towards the word “artist”; in the academic discourse that focuses on the term for visual artists, in the same way that “crafts” is often used to diminish the work of women and those deemed feminine or feminine tasks. I feel kinship with stories, and telling them. The medium is flexible, the stories are essential. Humanity has been telling stories since the beginning of time; predating written languages, as evident in drawings and art throughout the world, passed down through the oral tradition to this very day.

So, What is a story? What does a story do? Does it need to be true? Does it need to be real? 

For me, storytelling has always been a way of disseminating information that can withstand the test of time. Storytelling feels like a human response to life. Thomas Merton, a Catholic Trappist monk, mystic, and thinker, mentions three words to keep in mind on your journey to try to find the intersection of to be more present in life – Now, not the past or the future; Here, exactly where you are; This, whatever you're doing. The Now.Here.This. is a concept that I hold dear when I think about storytelling; it is meant to be transient and ever-changing, being effective and affecting things. Stories don't need to come in chronological order or cover everything that's ever happened in all time. Most stories are highlight reels, and that is also possible that it is a magnifying glass to the portions of the story that are relevant in this telling. Part of the way that we tell stories is by deciding when we tell them, what is relevant and important for this particular telling, and who is listening, or not.

How do you capture the transitory, ephemeral nature of my art and this art form? I could use creative writing, or film a video, both of which I have skill and experience with, but the truth is that it will never be the same as feeling and experiencing it yourself. So, if you will join me in this micro Larp for a moment or two for a whiff of what I do. Please see the next page resource to fold it into a single-page zine, which does require a brief use of scissors. The page after is meant to be printed and folded in the 8-page zine style, and can be printed in black and white on plain office paper. This will allow you to experience it as intended. I'll be waiting here when you return.