Arts & Issues Presents the Life and Work of R. Buckminster Fuller
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The life and ideas of a grandfather of sustainability, a futuristic designer and utopian thinker will be performed at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville on Thursday, March 31 and Friday, April 1.
The Center for Spirituality and Sustainability and Arts & Issues will present “R. Buckminster Fuller: The History (and Mystery) of the University,” written, directed and performed by D.W. Jacobs.
The March 31st show is sold out, but seats are available for the performance at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 1 at the Center for Spirituality and Sustainability at SIUE. Fuller, a former Southern Illinois University Carbondale faculty member, designed the Center for Spirituality and Sustainability in partnership with architect Shoji Sadao. Fuller created the dome as a transparent replica of planet Earth. It opened on the SIUE campus in 1971.
Fuller (1895-1983) was an American architect, systems theorist, inventor and legendary designer. He also published more than 30 books and popularized several terms including “Spaceship Earth.”
“I first heard R. Buckminster Fuller speak 47 years ago in 1968, on the University of California Santa Barbara campus,” wrote D.W. Jacobs. “Twenty-seven years after first seeing Bucky speak, I got the idea to write a play about him.”
“I began a five-year journey that culminated on March 31, 2000, with the world premiere at San Diego Repertory Theatre of ‘R. Buckminster Fuller: The History (and Mystery) of the Universe,’” continued Jacobs. “In the course of that journey, I quit my job as artistic director for the San Diego Repertory Theatre, largely to find the time to write this play. Bucky does that. He changes your life.”
Jacobs reflects on a few “Bucky Lessons” that he has learned from Fuller ideas:
- Life is navigation, not drifting with the current.
- Saturate yourself with information. A series of snapshots reveals trends, countertrends, patterns and critical paths.
- Life is a 50-year experiment. The individual is the experimental initiative.
- Design science joins art with science to make the world work.
Since the Sand Diego world premiere in 2000, Jacob’s play has been performed nearly 1,000 times by eight actors in 20 cities and in English and French.
For tickets, visit the Morris University Center Welcome Desk, visit artsandissues.com or call 1-866-698-4253.
The Arts & Issues series brings artistic excellence to the SIUE campus through an eclectic blend of speakers and performers. For more than 30 years, SIUE’s Arts & Issues series has showcased some of the world’s finest artists. Each season, thought-provoking speakers inspire people of all ages and backgrounds. Thanks to the underwriting of SIUE, corporations, foundations and individual donors, tickets are often discounted as much as 50 percent.
Arts & Issues is tied to the academic mission of the University and offers unique opportunities for students, faculty, staff and the community, to engage with performers and speakers through master classes and special sessions.
Photo:
R. Buckminster Fuller, an American architect, systems theorist, inventor and legendary designer.
