OKC artist collective SPARK! raising awareness of veterans' challenges with 'Ditty Bops'
The name may be a bit funny, but the Oklahoma City artist collective SPARK! Creative Lab is on a serious mission with its new project.
"Ditty Bops: The Art of Listening" is the title of the new immersive "creative investigation" by SPARK!, a nonprofit interdisciplinary company of local artists ranging from dancers and poets to musicians and photographers.
"The overall purpose is to honor veterans, to raise awareness about their challenges and to advocate for their improved care and support," said SPARK! Executive Director Nicole Poole, an OKC visual and performing artist who founded the collective two years ago in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Using one man in the Oklahoma City metro area, Dr. Neil Chapman, as a subject, we are exploring the intersection of arts, community and public policy."
SPARK! will present the immersive arts event "Ditty Bops: The Art of Listening" at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 24, 7:30 p.m. Aug. 26 and 2 p.m. Aug. 27 at the nonprofit organization's new OKC space.
Ahead of the "Ditty Bops" debut, Poole talked with The Oklahoman about how the project got its unusual title, what people can expect from the multi-arts event and how even civilians can connect with military veterans:
Q: How did you come up with the title for this project?
Poole: 'Ditty Bops: The Art of Listening' came from our subject, Dr. Neil Chapman, and his service in the United States Air Force in Thailand. During the Vietnam War, he was a Morse code interceptor, which was an elite crew. Colloquially, they were known as 'ditty boppers.' And his job for 12 hours a day for three years was to sit with headphones on and listen to rapid-fire enemy Morse code and transcribe it on a manual typewriter.
I don't know if you've ever heard Morse code, but it's like, 'ditty-da-duh, ditty-da-duh, da-da-dit-dit.' It's mind-numbing ... so his ability to listen was so well-honed.
But then we switch to the real grief, the real suffering, that he's facing right now, as he's stuck with about 262,000 other veterans in this backlog (of Department of Veterans Affairs claims). ... He has Parkinson's disease as a result of being exposed to (the tactical herbicide) Agent Orange. That's a one-to-one; that's not disputed by anybody. ... But he's just mired there, and he feels like no one's listening to him.
Q: What can people expect if they attend this event?
Poole: Well, this is a very nontraditional arts event, because we've got 14 artists from a variety of disciplines. We're really collaborating together to figure out how to present this story. So, Kiona Millirons ... has done a huge installation — and is still working on it in the space— representing Neil's military service, his 'Mannequin' photos and his present day, which is a whole lot of paperwork and a whole lot of Parkinson's stuff. The walls are going to be covered with these.
We've also got 900 feet of orange fabric representing Agent Orange that permeates pretty much every foot of the space. So, people will be walking into already what can be a beautiful and interesting and educational exhibit.
We will also have silent disco headphones, so as each small group of the audience walks through the space, they will be treated to compositions from James Metcalfe in Morse code. ... They will also see magnificent choreography by Governor's Art Award winner Hui Cha Poos, who's working with six magnificent dancers. And the dancers are not only showing you what it was like to be a ditty bopper, but are showing really an abstraction of Neil's military experience.
You will also see theater with me, you will see spoken word (poetry) with Angel Little, a 100% disabled veteran who's part of the company, and rap with Tony Tee, aka DJ Nymasis. ... And at the end of this, there's also a call to action. We have letters to federal legislators, the White House, the Department of Defense, the Pentagon, pleading with them to take action to expedite claims that are in the VA's claims backlog. And the audience will be invited to sign those letters.
Q: What are other ways that people can support military veterans?
Poole: I started telling Neil's story to other veterans, and they’ve opened up to me about their service in ways I've never been privy to anyone really talking about their military service. Because you've got that military-civilian divide, there's an assumption that civilians just aren't going to want to hear it or that we won't understand or that we're going to be freaked out.
Angel has talked to a lot of veterans at the VA hospital. ... And I've gone to the Norman Veterans Home, I've spoken to veterans everywhere, and they're delighted to simply tell their story to someone who will listen. And that's free, right? There's no cost to anybody just to listen.
So often, all we know to do is to say, 'Thank you for your service.' If we instead ask our veterans, 'How can I support you?' and just listen, it opens up an entire world of connection.
Q: Is this the first event in the SPARK! Creative Lab's new space?
Poole: Yes, this is the first formal event ... thanks to Chip Fudge and Gina Foxhoven of Livingston Properties. They've worked with us to allow us to lease a 2,500-foot space in Metro Park. It's just behind Dead People Stuff. You also have the magnificent Edge Craft Barbecue, Cross Timbers Brewing and the don’t stress meowt - Cat Cafe. So, it's a very eclectic complex in a historical, once-blighted section of Oklahoma City.
We're delighted to be able to energize and activate that space on the western edge of downtown. ... We're working to outfit the space to be a collaboration station for performing arts and community organizations and individual artists. But right now, while it's relatively empty, we're completely transforming the space. I've learned how to drive a scissor lift.
It's a game-changer. ... It opens up possibility and opportunity.
Q: Will the SPARK! artists be performing in your red jumpsuits? Why have those become your signature attire?
Poole: Yeah, we're working in our red jumpsuits. A lot of it came from the fact that I've performed all over the world, and in all of the orchestras and groups that I've been part of, everybody's just told to wear black. And we show up, we wear black, and that's fine. People go, 'Oh, look, they're musicians' or 'They're performers.' But when we put this together during the pandemic, I wanted something that felt more unifying. ...
Art is work, and we show up as this giant brigade of workers who are creative. Instead of just showing up and we're like, 'Oh, we're here for the entertainment,' we show up and people are like, 'Oh, this is a scene. Are they here to fix something?' Yeah, we are — in our red jumpsuits.
Q: What are your hopes for the 'Ditty Bops' project?
Poole: The hope is that people will show up and listen. I think there are (people) in seven countries and 29 states already who are reading about Neil Chapman and his struggle. I'm getting Facebook comments from wives of veterans talking about their struggles with bureaucracy and paperwork.
What I'm hopeful for is that our community can bravely link arms together and listen and realize that we do have some power. No, we might not change the system. But if we can change the way that even 20 people are interacting in the world with the people who have served our country, then we'll have done our jobs. ... I maintain hope that humans who care make an impact and make a difference.
I hope that it will invite people to reignite their compassion in a way that feels good ... and, of course, to honor Neil. He's an extraordinary, world-class photographer, a retired professor, who is diminishing in Edmond, Oklahoma. It's the Arthur Miller quote (from 'Death of a Salesman'): 'Attention must be paid.'
'DITTY BOPS: THE ART OF LISTENING'
When: 7:30 p.m. Aug. 24, 7:30 p.m. Aug. 26 and 2 p.m. Aug. 27.
Where: SPARK! Creative Lab headquarters, 1900 Linwood Blvd., Suite 500.
Tickets: https://sparklahoma.org.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC art collective's 'Ditty Bops' project tells local veteran's story
