Agency of event

In an earlier memo I looked at Randy’s assertion that Carapace as an event has its own agency:

Randy described Carapace as “self-sustaining.” He said “I can actually not be there as can Joyce and it’ll just roll on.” Carapace has “it’s own engine.” He went on to say that this agency, to exist without a specific person “there directing and steering things” is what makes something truly an “event.”

An event is something that sets other things in motion

whether it's people

talking with each other

or collaborating more

or having feelings that they take outside the event

and into their lives.

Whatever it is

it's something that has caused a propulsion if it's an event.

Having this agency allows the event to do things to people.

What I have observed is that things don’t go quite as smoothly when Randy isn’t there. At the September Carapace:

Early on, other attendees claimed the table to the side of the “stage” where they usually sit and where the hat sits. Cris sat at the large table that is right next to the stage and kind of behind it instead. The table filled up and there was no room for the hat, so he had it sitting on a chair behind the mic. Not the optimal location. He didn’t have the top hat and had brought a fishing hat instead. (September field notes)

The hat was in an awkward location and the people running the event weren’t where regulars would expect them to be.

Also, after initially not keeping time, Cris

said he would keep time for the following stories and would clink a glass at 5 minutes as a warning. (September field notes)

I don’t point out these inconsistencies to disparage Cris in any way. My feeling is that it is harder than one might imagine to both host the show and take care of these other details.

In January:

Randy was gone and David was there in his place. I wondered if this was because things got a little hairy last time Randy was gone. Once again there was no hat, so they used the pitcher instead. David brought slips of paper. I kept seeing him looking at his phone. I thought he might be using his phone to keep time, but I didn’t notice any time signals all night. (January field notes)

Carapace has reacted in the past and created new rules or norms after they proved themselves to be necessary. After an incident with a heckler, it became routine for the host to instruct the audience that there is no heckling. After Randy was absent and Carapace did roll along but with maybe a few bumps, Randy asked someone to fill in for him when he had to be gone.

Randy has made himself mostly invisible, so it is easy to think his role is minimal. However, his absence is noticeable. He ensures that parts of the ritual take place. Because he does it so seamlessly, others do not naturally slip into managing those parts of the ritual. But they could, and they do, when they realize it is necessary.