The Neo-Futurists Give America What It Wants With You Asked For It! - Theatre News - Theatre In Chicago:
Beginning in 1993, Russian emigrant artists Vitaly Komar and Alex Melamid conducted surveys to determine Americans' taste in art. The survey data was the basis for two paintings: America's Most Wanted featured landscapes, the portrait of a historical figure, wild animals, children, and the color blue. The companion piece, America's Most Unwanted, is a small geometric abstract composition. Both paintings were exhibited in New York at the Alternative Museum under the title "People's Choice." Komar and Melamid later surveyed more than a dozen countries and created paintings for each country, then applied their techniques to music with the help of composer David Soldier. (The least-wanted song included bagpipes, children singing, religious lyrics, and wild tempo changes.)
Allen says, "I spoke with Alex Melamid and he thought it was a fantastic idea to translate his process into the realm of American theater.” Since then, The Neo-Futurists have surveyed 2,200 individuals across the country regarding what they most and least want to see in a play. According to Allen, “Surprisingly, the responses were very consistent. Despite testing subset after subset, such as gender, age, location, or profession, the public's preferences are pretty much the same. What does this mean for a country that prides itself on individuality and freedom of expression?"
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