One night in 1999, Dan Miles got together with several friends from his high school years in Oak Park for a session of improvised music and performance at Weeds. He dubbed the gathering “Love Chaos,” and while a few of the musicians were startled when performance artist Katherine Chronis stripped and took the stage wearing only some strategically placed flowers, everyone was game to do it again.
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“Love Chaos” grew into an occasional gathering that brings together about 50 artists for what Miles calls a “grassroots party.” It’s strictly improvisational and proceeds with minimal organization; at any given point, established musicians, poets, and dancers might find themselves sharing the stage with complete amateurs and total strangers. “We’re all interconnected,” says Miles. “The person collecting money at the door is onstage a half hour later.”
Miles is also at work on a “Love Chaos” film, which he envisions as a record of the artists’ lives and the evolution of the event. Shortly before the first show at Weeds, he and a filmmaker friend began taping interviews with local artists–many of whom have since become participants–and he captured that first night on video. Since then, every performance has included a roving band of videographers, who document the night’s proceedings and conduct interviews with participants. Clips from the interviews and footage shot at previous performances are integrated into the live shows, and Miles plans to submit a full-length version to independent film festivals. He also hopes to develop the material into a half-hour TV show along the lines of Wild Chicago or ArtBeat.
