Split, Splat, Splot

Split, Splat, Splot
New work by Meg Duguid and Catie Olson
with guest appearances by Jeff DeSalvo, and Jon Marco

Central Park
July 20-22, 2007
12 p.m., 2 p.m., and 5 p.m. daily, with a grand finale on Sunday July 22 at 7:00 p.m.

Split, Splat, Splot is a series of synchronized pieing events taking place throughout Central Park. During the three day span, Duguid and Olson have synchronized their watches and will be performing nine classic pieing actions in various park locations directly on the hours of 12 p.m., 2 p.m., and 5 p.m. daily, culminating with a grand two-woman synchronized pie routine on Sunday July 22 at 7 p.m. (see schedule and map on the following pages for a further description).

In advance of these events, Duguid and Olson set up a public learning pie lab, called I can toss. Can you smash? What a splat! A Pie Research Project, to determine which pies they will be performing which actions with.

I can toss. Can you smash? What a splat! A Pie Research Project was a public learning lab where Duguid and Olson tested pieing in April. By setting up a systematic pie experiment, they discovered what pies are best for which situations and how the structure of pie and the movements of the pie-er and pie-ee create meaning.

Although the cream pie seems to be the favorite of pieing moments, was it the most effective comedy instrument? Or is it the best for black and white film where pieing had its media heyday? To satisfy these questions, Duguid and Olson created a list of pie actions and another list of pie types and performed each action with each pie type to fulfill this quest.

After an extreme evening of scientifically lobbing a total of sixty pies at each other, Duguid an Olson came to a number of conclusions, including that cream pie is does not hold up as well as a double-crusted pie in a long-range throwing situation—and that sometimes the sponginess of meringue is funnier than the splatyness of cream.

Come join Duguid and Olson with guest appearances by Jeff DeSalvo, and Jon Marco in Central Park when these results will be put to the test.

Synchronized Pieing--on the Hour
July 20-22, 2007, 12 p.m., 2 p.m., and 5 p.m. daily

Each morning Duguid and Olson will be waking up with the roosters to synchronize their watches and bake that day’s pies. During the three-day span Duguid and Olson will be performing 9 classic pieing actions in various park locations directly on the hours of 12 p.m., 2 p.m., and 5 p.m. daily. Every evening they will be found at Duguid’s local laundry mat cleaning their outfits from that day.

July 20, 2007
1. Sitting on pie will be performed with a Lemon Meringue pie: Olson will set a pie on bench to read the paper. Duguid not noticing the pie will sit directly on it.
Conservatory Water,12 p.m.

2. Running with pie will be enacted with a blueberry pie. Duguid will come at Olson with a running start and pie her at close range.
In front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2 p.m.

3. Duguid and Olson will hail a Carriage or Rickshaw on 60th St & 5th Ave. Sometime after they are picked up Olson will hit Duguid at arms length with a chocolate cream pie and perform a close-range pieing.
Taking off from 60th St & 5th Ave, 5 p.m.

July 21, 2007
4. Duguid holding a Banana Cream pie under Olson’s face as a sweet smelling temptation will push her face into the pie performing the famous face pushed into pie act.
In front of The Natural History Museum, 12 p.m.

5. Olson on the top of the bridge will enact a pie drop with a cherry pie on Duguid who isnonchalantly walking under the bridge.
Greywacke Arch, 2 p.m.

6. In an attempt to enact a close-range pieing on Olson, Duguid will accidentally pie a passerby with a pumpkin pie when Olson ducks. This is known as the duck close-up
Literary Walk, 5 p.m.

July 22, 2007
7. Olson will perform a close-range toss by tossing, overhand, a chocolate cream pie at Duguid.
Belvedere Castle, 12 p.m.

8. Duguid, using an apple pie will perform a long-range throw on Olson by pitching the pie at Olson from at least Eight feet away.
Great Lawn’s Baseball Fields, 2 p.m.

9. Olson, performing the duck and throw, will attempt to hit Duguid with a blueberry pie at close range but will accidentally hit a passerby at long-range when Duguid ducks.
Sheep Meadow, 5 p.m.

Synchronized Pieing--the Dance
Cedar Hill, July 22, 7 p.m.

For Duguid and Olson’s finale the have created a two-woman public slapstick dance piece based on the idea of synchronized swimming. This choreographed routine breaks down the motion of pieing into a poetic comedyesque dance. As they go between one pieing type to another, the layers of sugar will pile up on Duguid and Olson followed by the pair donning cleaning uniforms spilling buckets of water on the pie area and each other for cleaning.