Making It Real

MAKING IT REAL: an ongoing series of interviews with readers, clubbers, artists, musicians, DJs, professors, experts on liminal spaces, & more, sharing their own experience of reality.

MCSq2 wants to interview you. Share your story with us . . .

• Interview with Pavel Drosch, owner, Hive Mind Apiary
  Truly, the bees do all the work—They’re really wonderful, you know, they’re elegant to look at, their sting is self-defense, and their work makes our world possible. It’s really beautiful, you know, to work with bees—I wish I had more to say! It’s an honor to be one of your interviews.   Pavel Drosch Report More
• Interview with Tylr, DJ and producer
  Q: Is being a DJ a vocation, a party, or a job? A: Being a dj, all three of those things are true, it is my career. It is also my job as a promoter to throw parties even if I’m not DJing them. I’m a host of these parties and the first face they […] More
• Interview with Alyson Z., coder, gamer
  It’s been honestly a privilege to beta Birds of Paradise—I can’t be too specific until launch, but what’s really resonating for me is the depth of the realism—My avatar is a neon capybara. So, not that kind of realism! But the emotional realism is something very special. You’ve heard about what happened [to Birds of […] More
• Interview with Ash Arder/Mount Mariah, transdisciplinary artist and DJ
  Q: When you play, what (or who) are you playing for? I am playing for the healer inside of me. Q: Does a DJ have a responsibility to the dancers? Artistic, or otherwise? Yes. DJs are conjuring energies through song. Like a healer or ritual leader, DJs should take seriously their role in charting an […] More
• Interview with Skullpope9, gamer
  What they did to Matty B [Mathias Bergeron], that was wrong. Fear of God is a great, great game. A great man made a great game and they just kicked him out of his own—Those weren’t good reasons! Wrath Army was happening way before—Do I believe? You mean believe in God? God exists. God is […] More
• Interview with Charlie Athanas, club designer and manager
  Q: Is running a club like creating a world, or creating a piece of art? Worlds. I was lucky enough to not only help run a club, but to co-design one on top of the beautiful bones of an existing building. It triggered all of my art impulses: from practicality, to creating a vibe, to […] More
• Interview with Dina Dudley, social researcher and author, Our New Gods: Celebrity Worship and Parasocial Bonds
  Parasocial bonding occurs when a person feels a strong connection to a celebrity they know only through the media, or online. There’s no personal reciprocity, it’s a one-sided connection—There are healthy ways to act on a connection like that, people can find it enjoyable, even enriching, on an entertainment basis. It becomes dysfunctional when the […] More
• Interview with Sébastien Aud, studio assistant:
  The piece, the working title is “Asterion and the Bacchae.” It will be larger than anything Suzanne, Ms. Duplantier, has ever created, immense really, Ms. Duplantier is moving to a new studio to accommodate—The Bacchae were female followers of Bacchus Dionysus, human females who were possessed, they struck water and wine from the earth, fire […] More
• Interview with Meghan Sorin, owner and founder, A Walk in the Park
  Birds of Paradise, we’re fortunate to be financially enabled, generously enabled, to expand and advance the game, and offer gamers an absolutely unparalleled molecular gaming experience— “Molecular,” that’s an industry term for depth of player engagement—I’m sorry, you mean the company name? It‘s meant to be a no-bombast name, no hype, just a walk in […] More
• Interview with Mathias Bergeron, game creator
  Your play style is fully representative of who you are, and gaming attracts some incredibly glitchy humans, geniuses and toxic assholes, people can’t tell the difference! I mean, I read people saying I was “corrosively anti-religious,” and then that I was a “religious terrorist enabler,” I mean, no fucking comment anymore! The Mayan priests, the […] More
• Interview with Fatima Reyes, VP media, Daedalus Games
  Matthias Bergeron, while his unique creative energy will always be acknowledged by Daedalus, we could not as a company have continued to partner with him after the Wrath Army incidents with “Fear of God.” Jeri Considine and the rest of the Daedalus leadership team work tirelessly to foster an atmosphere of respect and trust industry-wide, […] More
• Interview with Jake Ulrich, freelance writer
  I had set up an interview with Ari Regon, at the Indigo studio grounds—I saw everything. The set-up, the wedding, Mister Minos and the dancers, the fire, the forest, everything . . . A journalist’s main objective is to be objective, but I’m really questioning the value of objectivity for a writer. After what I […] More
• Interview with Jakka, quality assurance tester
  QA stands for “quality assurance” and rest assured that a quality experience will be provided to the players of this game. It’s a simple equation, game dev plus strict attention to detail equals excellent UX. As long as you can solve the equation . . . No one wanted to talk to you, Davy won’t […] More
• Interview with Casey Sidney, events editor, ItsCoolThatYou
  We believe that most cultural events are actually non-events, because what qualifies, or matters, as an “event” anymore? Is it live, is it augmented, is it accessible only to a certain population segment, is it password protected? We really strive not to engage with events we find to be exclusionary—But this kind of meta-event, an […] More
• Interview with Placebo Domingo, Dancer and Choreographer, Dragonistas
  Of course that’s not my real name. Is your real name “Marfa”?—Oh, that’s sensational! Is your last name Texas? Sorry, not to be offensive . . . “Placebo,” that’s how people know me in the clubs, the root word is to please, to bring pleasure to what can be a very sorry world. [Sings] “Because […] More
• Interview with Rev. Eva Nila, Roman Catholic diocesan bishop
  I’m sorry to hear that Alaina [Alaine Majiic] did not choose to be interviewed, but that is understandable, she was deeply disappointed that the Basilica did not honor their previous approval [to host the Minos/Majiic event]. Many performances have been allowed there, non-traditional ones, even unlikely ones—Basìlica de la Purìssima Concepció is itself a celebration […] More
• Interview with K. Guillory, known online as Aemeth
  Interview with K. Guillory, known online as Aemeth, documenting culture in virtual spaces https://www.themetaculture.co/ Are you fundamentally different as a person because of your ongoing experiences in AR/VR? Absolutely. I first came to VR because I sadly had a friend pass away, and felt immersive therapy would help me with overcoming that grief. Over the […] More
• Interview with Oskar Svoboda, sound technician, AltFest9000
  Afraid? None of us were afraid. [Security head Walter} Bakker was shitting himself, he kept screaming at Lars [Lindberg, festival administrator] to cut the power, to call in the blue hats [local police], but Lars was loving it, nothing scares Lars, he’s a madman, Lars was like, Minos and Majiic, this is the best, this […] More
• Interview with Julian Zero, DJ
  Listening to, you mean like for beats? I like Annie Kwow, and Stingray, Ban Kodiak, and those guys from, what’s it, Prague, the Proggers. And Pep Danger, I’m playing with him at CoExpansion—Mister Minos, uh, no. He played at Silver Landings, yeah well I played there too, and they painted me on the wall, not […] More
• Interview with R.G. Karkovsky, director/writer, photographer
  Q: You work in a lot of disciplines, but your current project is a documentary. How is a documentary fundamentally different from a fictional film? They both manipulate reality to tell a story. RGK: My first short film was a mockumentary which, despite the existence of a traditional screenplay, was partly improvised because I had […] More
• Interview with Martin Burkowski, personal assistant to Ines Hechman-Weir, COO, Hechman Properties
  Carmen Khan is our media specialist— Ms. Hechman-Weir would not be available for a personal interview—No comment on that—That’s a remarkably offensive question. No comment. Thank you for your interest in Your Own Eyes. -Martin Burkowski, personal assistant to Ines Hechman-Weir, COO, Hechman Properties Report More
• Interview with Maria Morhosa-Smith, philanthropist, art collector, CEO, Morhosa Systems
  I first met Leland Cardenal at Chronos Festival—No, at LOOP, Sissi’s booth, Sissi Aronson. Leland introduced me to so many important gallerists, and artists, he’s connected to everyone doing important work. And he understands that it’s about so much more than, Do you want to own this piece or that piece? Art is not about […] More
• Interview with Dodi Malor, Co-founder of the Holy Roman Empire Performance Collective
  The Holy Roman Empire, at one point we had over three hundred and sixty members! And we made exceptional performances—A true piece of art, who expects that to be safe? Why do you even ask these questions? This instinct for safety smothers everything alive. When I was a little boy—I see your face, but you […] More
• Interview with Michelle Cosismo, cofounder, Rite Here
  Mecca, Compostela, the Western Wall, that’s traditional pilgrimage. Rite Here explores people who are creating their own rites. Vondie, my wife Vondie Berenson, shoots our footage, and I edit, and write the exegesis. We heard [about Dark Factory] from posts on Inner Free Me, and Falada, and No Ripcord, lots of artists, skaters, urbexers, not […] More
• Interview with Crow Chick and BillyBoy9, urban explorers
  BB9: We come here whenever we want—pro tip, compressed air works on maglocks! It’s wild, like the wild west or whatever, but mostly people are cool. CC: I have a couple of roof cams, hundreds of hours of the crows’ behavior—You mean like communicative? It’s definitely communicative, but strictly between the birds. Why would they […] More
• Interview with Max Caspar, writer
  Q: Max Caspar, thank you for this interview. Max Caspar: I’m glad we came out here. Q: “Out here” means where we are right now, which is basically the ass end of nowhere, in a little unheated shack— Max: Garage. Q: —garage, with moldy tarps and cheap scented candles, the spider webs are as big […] More
• Interview with Alice Sellars-Caspar, Optical Technician, and Mitchell Sellars-Caspar, Data Systems Administrator
  ASC: Maxi—excuse me, Max is an exceptionally determined person. Writing, art school, performance projects, whatever he sets himself to accomplish, he does. MSC: We’re always surprised by the directions he chooses. Alice Sellars-Caspar, Optical Technician, and Mitchell Sellars-Caspar, Data Systems Administrator Report More
• Interview with Calvin Regon, regional distribution manager
  I wish I could tell you more about what’s happening with Ari [Regon], I’ve only seen what people post, or the things on ReadItNow. Ari has always been a very imaginative boy, very social boy. Not a top student, but his mother and I, we were always very proud of him. I wish I could […] More
• Interview with Jonathan Truitt, Professor, Director of CMU Center for Learning through Games and Simulations
  Q: What was the first game you can remember playing? Rook – my extended family always played it at Thanksgiving. Q: How can any game actually be a scholarly endeavor? Doesn’t that take a lot of the fun out of playing? Games ultimately set constraints on what we can and cannot do in the play […] More
• Interview with LeeAnn Davies, owner, Bride’s Bouquet
  My firm creates a wedding experience as perfectly arranged as a bride’s bouquet, and I’ve recently added a saucy mentalist team to the bachelorette party package—Excuse me, I understood this interview was to focus on my work—I’m legally prevented from engaging with those types of questions. I can say that nothing ever took place [at […] More
• Interview with Darin Skellman, VP of Creative Strategies, Junket
  You want to talk about mechanics? You mean, what? Tactile odometry, spatial audio, drift correction, immersivity metrics? That’s tech, that’s not my department. But when you get on a plane, do you sit there thinking about Bernoulli’s principle, or do you order a cocktail and enjoy the view? The tech is just there to get […] More
• Interviews with Clara Dix & Davide Fabron, Reality Artists, Fantastic Fantoms
  An interview with Clara Dix, reality artist, owner, Fantastic Fantoms: I work in creation systems, Y and gaming. I started out in dev at Elongation, then Black Diamond, JoJoJo, then tech at Dark Factory, and lead tech on the Overtime launch team. The concept was achievable, the schedule for deliverables not so much . . […] More
• Interview with Robbie Kent, partner, Sto Lat
  The yellow DJ, yeah, lots of craziness that night, I mean I didn’t expect to be having it off with somebody right under the mural—Oh it’s a monster piece, just monster. Or masterpiece, yeah, that works too. A lot of people ask me [what the mural represents]. To me, the DJ is music, the skeleton […] More
• Interview with Patricia Agnelli, library technician
  My friends and I went [to Silver Landings], and now we are all fucked over, you know? Like how do you come down from something like that? Like being in heaven, a peak experience, the only way to go from a peak is down and I went down, I’m depressed ever since, every day. Mad […] More
• Interview with Marcus Wellington, student
  I was out delivering for Supra Pizza, taking the long way back from a delivery, I was smoking a little shit—I mean I don’t work there anymore, I can say this—and I saw all these people outside a building, they were all getting into each other, and I was like, What is happening here? I […] More
• Interview with Ophelia Damask, erotic mentalist
  The body talks to the mind all the time, a wonderful conversation, and sexuality is its music—Silver Landings, I did not expect Silver Landings to be, to be the way that it was—A conversation, oh my no, Silver Landings was, was a choir! I have two wonderful assistants now, Ricky and Adele, they were my […] More
• Interview with Isabella Ness, senior sound designer and producer, composer, vocalist
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• Interview with Anna Suzman, accountant
  “Je t’aime, baby, je t’aime,” that and the sexy DJ, that’s all I remember [about Silver Landings]. And the bruises [laughs], I had bruises in so many places! -Anna Suzman, accountant Report More
• Interview with Felix Perez/Mister Minos, DJ
  I didn’t know I was going to [play on the roof], I just wanted to get closer to the stars. The mask—That was about Ari, actually, that’s private. Oh I can’t say where Ari would be right now . . . You mean playing? No, that was meant for everybody. Specifically, Everybody. When I first […] More
• Interview with Dr. Adam Kaiser, professor of reality creation studies, Kunstfarm
  A useful text for my students is Johan Huizinga’s theory of Homo ludens, humans as the animal who plays. For the history, you can go all the way back to the thaumatrope and praxinscope, stereoscope, Sensorama, motion capture, VR and AR, the goggles and gloves, first-generation Y, wearable intelligence—Yes, people have been attempting reality creation […] More
• Interview with Deborah Wolterman, radiology technician
  I work at a radiology center. Every day we identify physical events that are happening inside human bodies. For thousands of years, none of those things were visible, but they were still happening. Then Röntgen tried to understand whether cathode rays could pass through glass, and he discovered these other rays, he called them “x” […] More
• Interview with Lady Liminal, Bec Lambert
  Lady Liminal, the Astrolithic Megapunk, sometimes morphs into Bec Lambert, postgraduate archaeological researcher, who wanders and ponders the liminal places of the world, sometimes alone, often with fellow edgeland operatives. Report More
• Interview with Lane Durand, former Dark Factory assistant operations manager
  I’ve seen this happen before. A friend of mine was a manager at [hotel name redacted] when the housekeeping staff started complaining that there was gas coming out of the drains, they had headaches, couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep. The hotel did multiple inspections, installed watch sensors, meanwhile guests are saying they can smell it too, […] More
• Interview with Jonas Siegler, owner, Dark Factory
  There’s a media registry for updates on the site. How did you get this number? Dark Factory is on temporary hiatus, but we’ll have exciting plans to share soon—No comment—I have no comment whatsoever on Ari Regon. How did you get this number? Did Ari give it to you? -Jonas Siegler, owner, Dark Factory Report More
• Interview with Danielle Meijer, philosophy professor, DePaul University
  Q: Is philosophy an actual thing that can exist outside a university? Or is it like quadratic equations? Of course philosophy exists outside of the ivory tower and as a communitarian anarchist I’d say institutions do more harm than good when it comes to pretty much any discipline.  Anyone can think philosophically and do philosophy, […] More
• Interview with Johnny “Thief” DiDonna, tattoo artist, Seppuku Tattoo
  Q: Why do people still get tattoos? Poking needles into skin seems pretty old school. Ha ha, you’re kidding, right? It’s THE Old School. Tattooing is pre-historic, far older than any written language. The oldest art on the planet is cave paintings that date to 40,000 years old, and the subject [is] people covered in […] More
• Interview with Angela Ropp, Deputy City Manager
  There’s been a great deal of deliberate disinformation, especially on social media—On the property, correct, but the incident was not sponsored or sanctioned in any way by the owner. Jonas Siegler has always been a responsible corporate citizen—The responding officers acted appropriately. The use of crowd control bots—Criminal charges, correct. Misdemeanor public disorder, theft, asset […] More
• Interview with Laurel E. Loch, Episcopal ministry and pastoral support, St. George Episcopal
  MCSq2 talks with Laurel E. Loch, Episcopal ministry and pastoral support, St. George Episcopal http://www.stgeorgesepiscopal.net/ Q: How and/or where do religion and spirituality meet? I think of religion as being the organized, communal portion and spirituality as an essence that’s specific and personal to an individual. The spark is kindled during personal, private practices of […] More
• Interview with Lana S, “Whisper,” Dark Factory power user
  It is, it was, a special place. Jodie would always have my tiara ready—Jodie is just a warm, funny, wonderful person—Jodie would say, “Whisper, welcome home.” Whisper was my avatar’s name, as a power user I had a bespoke avatar. I’d go up to Gear Bar, or City Lights, and see if there were other […] More
• Interview with Katya Pedersen, dancer
  I got the [Dark Factory] gig because of [redacted]. But you know that, I’m sure. Just like you know I was there that night . . . If you know so much why don’t you interview yourself, you might be surprised. – Katya Pederson, dancer Report More
• Interview with Jesse Davis, editor, arts journalist
  Q: What’s the impetus to write about art, your impetus? What’s the actual point? A: Writing about art is a somewhat more stable and predictable source of income than making art, but it’s still art-adjacent.  But money isn’t my first concern, or I wouldn’t work in journalism or the arts. Writing about art gives me […] More
• Interviews with Kellie L., barista & Stephen Thurmann, former water regulation technician
  Kellie L., barista At first it seemed like a party, because you didn’t have to pay to get in, or for drinks. But then things started getting intense, so I told Stephen we had to go—Like intense! These women, they were kneeling down on the dancefloor and praying, like to God! And a guy was […] More
• Interview with Faye and Davey Zimmer, musicians, Lost in the Stars
  FL: We were headed to a gig, but my QuikPass wouldn’t work, so we got a Hopper. And the Hopper guy said he just dropped off some people at Dark Factory, something weird was going on over there. DZ: It was like drugs. But not drugs like being high.Drugs like, I lost my shoes. I […] More
• Interview with Bradley Breckle, call center manager
  I was shooting video, you know, just to do it, I just kept posting, you know, and people were going crazy, all these media outlets getting at me to use the footage. Did you see that woman falling off the streetlight pole? Everybody used that. That was mine. -Bradley Breckle, call center manager Report More
• Interview with Imani A., medical student
  When the sun came up, I was on the [Dark Factory] roof with my girlfriend, and I knew—not just “thought” it, like a philosophical construct, but knew—that we were going to live forever. We all are. Forever. I’m not saying that’s the best thing. -Imani A., medical student Report More
• Interview with Dashiell Kryzlaski, Junior Product Designer
  I thought I was just going to meet my sister at some club, but she never showed up. The next day she’s messaging me like, I saw all the posts, what the fuck happened there, what did I miss? [laughs] What happened. -Dashiell Kryzlaski, junior product designer Report More
• Interview with Jennifer Stone, Fiber Artist:
  I know who you shouldn’t talk to. Max Caspar. He’s a complete snob and a complete asshole. –Jennifer Stone, fiber artist Report More
• Interview with Alix Schnell, Editor, the Incubationist
  Experiential art doesn’t need to avoid commerce to be considered “real art,” that’s such a tired trope, the starving artist, no one cares about that anymore. The real art is happening right in the marketplace, like Coco Binsky with her Dubious Intentions parties, or Ari Regon at Dark Factory. Those are the people worth talking […] More
• Interview with Frederick Sundford, Freelance Journalist
  What every real journo knows—and you [interviewer] know this too, I know you do—is that whatever you’re being told the “story” is, that’s never actually the real story at all. The things no one will tell you, the things you have to tunnel and excavate and dynamite the landscape to get near, that’s the story, […] More
• Interview with Teresa Capua, Manager, Bitter Lake
  Bitter Lake is really all Max [Caspar]’s idea. Max is the one you ought to talk to. _Teresa Capua, manager, Bitter Lake Report More
• Interview with Glenda Vitale, owner and founder, Meer BV, Lady of the Lake
  Lady of the Lake will be a reality experience designed to facilitate rejuvenation—Water tanks, and Y mermaids, and specific lighting, blue light is proven to accelerate relaxation. The choice of venue was deliberate, to site the experience in a place most people would not find immediately comfortable. Oskar Nilson was very cooperative pricewise, hopefully some […] More
• Interview with Tina Ellison, branch manager, QueQue Tomi
  Dark Factory, oh sure, I love it. I go to all of the experience-type places—Bitter Lake, no one ever went there, it was off the radar, this sad fairytale vibe—“Sad” is the wrong word, maybe “lost” is better, lost in itself. The best part was the dancer, she was so so beautiful, like she didn’t […] More
• Interview with Jackson Aird, reality studies adjunct, Kunstfarm
  Max Caspar and I were at Kunstfarm together, he left the year before me. I collaborated on one of his performance installations, it was based on the “Faustus” story, Faustus sells his soul to the devil for knowledge, that was Max’s commentary on Kunstfarm—In a warehouse, an illegal space probably. I shot video for that, […] More
• Interview with Kim Vronska, IT analyst
  Dark Factory? Not real. “Real” is work and taking the train and buying cereal and arguing with my boyfriend. I didn’t spend money and put on skintight pants so I could stay in the “real” world. KIM VRONSKA, IT analyst Report More
• Interview with Jodie Diamond, DF Guest Services Manager
  Dark Factory’s not like any other club, I know that sounds hype-ass but true is true. In all the time I worked there I never felt like I was, you know, “going to work”—Ha ha, no, though there were staff parties sometimes! What I mean is, the whole atmosphere was about, everything is here to […] More
• Interview with Eduard Clair, attorney
  I can dance with people who don’t exist, or who do, I can drink absolutely ridiculous cocktails, I can write my heart out on the graffiti wall, definitely I do like my reality curated, oui, yes, thank you very much. EDUARD CLAIR, attorney Report More