Details

October 23-27, 2024 at the Charleston Gaillard Center. Event is free and open to the public.

UK-based theater collective Stan’s Cafe brings their internationally renowned art installation, Of All The People In All The World, to the Gaillard Center with one week of free and open-to-the-public showings. Centered on a concept in which individual grains of rice represent individual people, seemingly abstract statistics will come to startling and powerful life in the Gaillard’s main lobbies. Over a period of seven days, a team of performers carefully weigh out quantities of rice to represent a host of human statistics, all while interacting with and taking suggestions from visitors. Alongside statistics on a diverse range of topics from around the country and the world, this edition will acknowledge the upcoming election season by creating representations of the voting population and of the history of government in the US.

“But is it theatre, or is it an installation? Such definitions seem to matter less than the power of a beautifully simple idea.”

– Terry Grimley, Birmigham Post

One grain of rice equals one person. That’s it. This installation is that simple—and that elegantly complex. Since its debut in 2003, Of All The People In All The World has used this deceptively straightforward concept to communicate statistics that are otherwise difficult if not impossible to grasp.

The first show featured a ton of rice, one grain for every person living in the United Kingdom. Since then, more than 90 international presentations of various sizes have embraced such diverse topics as refugees, holocaust deaths, local history, contemporary politics, culture, sports, pandemics, food access, land rights, and The Great British Bake Off.

There is only one rule: Every statistic must be a human statistic.

The installation shifts constantly, with actors weighing out more rice to create new piles. Visitors are encouraged to share their thoughts with the team, as the show can be shaped to reflect their particular interests.