With aching shoulders, frozen nose, and numbed fingers, I found a spot for my moto just outside Petco Park. Ninety minutes of riding was a commitment—to anticipate the day’s event. This was Saturday evening, November 8, the second day SUSHI opened its doors. Riding soothed some of the excitement and expectations of the event and the performance space everyone was talking about.

The new SUSHI, A Center for the Urban Arts, found its way home back to the ICON complex near Petco Park. Not a bad location. Surrounded by pubs and cafés, a ballpark where the Padres play, SUSHI may well be the center of it all! At least for me.

I volunteered to set-up and strike for the event and performance that evening. A special event indeed since hors d’oeuvres and wine were served and, of course, for the main event, a performance by JORDAN FUCHS and dancers titled THICKET. As a volunteer, I had the pleasure to tour the new space and see the performance for free. As a member of the audience, I was a part of something new. Something different—a tribe in black whose faith lies on that fly on the wall; curious for that notable smell, that tasty treat, or the contrast in dark and light. THICKET was performed in the midst of an audience thirsty for a new experience in the performance arts. Mr. Fuchs delivered an exploration of human interactions; entwined audience members with sights, sounds and movements; and conveyed an intimacy beyond the tradition of performer-audience relationship.

It was 5:11pm when I arrived at the door (6pm was the call for volunteers). I didn’t mind I was early. Quickly stripping my gray and brown riding gear, I was ordained.

Photography by John Warner