my experience of class 10/22

I came to class having heard from a mutual friend of Devin and I that his performance was going to be very long and involve a loud noise. I normally wouldn't ask about someone's performance beforehand, but I'd been having awful menstrual cramps all day and wasn't feeling particularly receptive to violent or excruciating acts. The main thing I found out was that Devin's performance was supposedly going to last longer than the class period.

I sat and was very on edge for the first half hour because of the air horn. I relaxed when it seemed like nothing would happen, and listened to the patterns of Devin's voice and shifting bodies. I let my vision focus and un-focus on Devin and thought about whether what I saw was what some people call 'auras'. I heard a flock of seagulls! This was fine. I thought about how often we talk about being a captive audience, and assumed that the airhorn was there as a threat and that we were in a hostage situation. I guess it was around this time, about 45 minutes in, that I decided to start testing the rules. Maybe all of our talk about control and trust was making me antsy to not follow standard audience rules. Also, I know I can sit still and listen to things far less interesting than Devin reading particles of speech for 3 hours, so I didn't really feel like going through with this 'test' was necessary, if that's what it was.
So, I started digging through my bag, playing and texting with my cell phone, and writing small notes. None of these things triggered the air horn alarm, so I decided it was time to go to the bathroom. Since I knew that this was going to go on for so long, I didn't feel bad about leaving for some of it, but the anticipation of the airhorn punishment was enough to keep me in my chair for about half an hour after I wanted to go. Suddenly, the airhorn went off and I got out of my chair, reversing cause and effect somehow in my surprise. I went to the bathroom and walked around for awhile and returned to find all of my peers in the hallway. I guess I hadn't actually triggered the airhorn and my apologetic notes weren't necessary, though I'm glad I wrote them.

Corinne was very agitated that this was going on for so long, so I suggested that she just do her performance during Devin's. Even at this point, Devin had defeated duration in my mind and was a static presence, so it was fine to have her action take place next to his being. I watched Corinne rip apart a pumpkin with a smile and eat some of it. I hardly thought about it at all and watched Devin while she did this. It became a much more contained action framed by Devin's infinite reading. I wouldn't have liked it as much without Devin. I stayed almost until the end of class and then left. I felt obligated to stay for awhile because I wanted to pay respect to Devin's endurance and effort as well as the designation of 'class time', and I think that generally this is the reason any of us stayed after the twenty minute mark. However, it was apparent that we weren't meant to see all of this and I wonder if Devin is still reading right now!