Beyond Survival School Bus
Bus tour
Beyond Survival School Bus (2022)
Bus tour [90 minutes]
Photograph courtesy of Simon Lazewski
Beyond Survival School Bus is a 90-minute bus tour with a pedagogical discourse that spans from eighteenth-century hedge schools to twenty-first-century school tours.
Departing from the urban sphere and commencing its voyage deep into the mountains, the school’s curriculum explores the polemic effects of ‘self-perseverance’ through the social practice of survivalism; moving through examples such as an assimilated ‘outdoor’ swimming pool situated in a 15-story underground survival bunker designed for those who hoard economic wealth, to skimming the surface of open resources available from online prepping communities. Delving into the lack of depth within these social movements, Ranger Herlihy forewarns of the damaging effect of implicated de-prioritisation of collective scale action—that is, the point at which preparing for the potential risks brought about by environmental, economic and/or societal damage supersedes the more important task of advocating for structural and revolutionary change. Utilising the scripted nature of reality survival shows, Ranger Herlihy provides a participatory script to each scout and invites them to take up a single role spanning from Doomsday Prepper alumni, ‘Warrior’ Martin to ‘eco crusader,’ Al Gore.
Continuing in their journey beyond survival, the collective narrative moves towards building a future where both humans and nonhumans, deemed unproductive by utilitarian standards, are valued for their own nature. Yet, creating space to stray away from the ‘natural,’ as these un-natural positions, offer alternative views for imagining new, just, and sustainable ways of living beyond survival.
Beyond Survival School Bus (2022) was scripted and produced by Léann Herlihy.
Ranger Herlihy performed by Léann Herlihy.
Camera Person performed by Andrew Grace.
Bus Driver performed by Con.
Beyond Survival School Bus (2022) was a free bus tour for adults commissioned by Dublin Fringe Festival’s Make Space for Art Award. This bus tour also received Dublin Fringe Festival’s Wild Card Award.
Lesson 03: The Wheels on the Bus
Léann Herlihy as Ranger Herlihy
“The wheels on the bus go round and round
Round and round, round and round
The wheels on the bus go round and round
All through the town.
A catchy kids’ tune, The Wheels on the Bus was originally written and published by Verna Hill in 1939. When web-searching ‘The-Wheels-on-the-Bus-subversive-hidden-meanings,’ you’ll find an array of mediocre sites which valorise this school bus anthem as simply being inspired by the repetitive actions of a bus that are ever-present while riding it.
BEEP BEEP!
But there’s something sinister about asking kids to joyfully sing about repetitive-industrial-production. Wheels, wipers, horn, money, driver, baby and mommy are a cluster of characters who are forced into the behavioural norms of the neoliberal workplace. Going round and round, round and round, round and round, and resonating with the struggles perpetuated onto people under present neoliberal social and economic structures. Wheels, wipers, horn, money, driver, baby and mommy, are suspended in a precarious, self-punishing mode of existence, in which one struggles to maintain one’s present position, rather than improve it.”
Léann Herlihy as Ranger Herlihy
“The wheels on the bus go round and round
Round and round, round and round
The wheels on the bus go round and round
All through the town.
A catchy kids’ tune, The Wheels on the Bus was originally written and published by Verna Hill in 1939. When web-searching ‘The-Wheels-on-the-Bus-subversive-hidden-meanings,’ you’ll find an array of mediocre sites which valorise this school bus anthem as simply being inspired by the repetitive actions of a bus that are ever-present while riding it.
BEEP BEEP!
But there’s something sinister about asking kids to joyfully sing about repetitive-industrial-production. Wheels, wipers, horn, money, driver, baby and mommy are a cluster of characters who are forced into the behavioural norms of the neoliberal workplace. Going round and round, round and round, round and round, and resonating with the struggles perpetuated onto people under present neoliberal social and economic structures. Wheels, wipers, horn, money, driver, baby and mommy, are suspended in a precarious, self-punishing mode of existence, in which one struggles to maintain one’s present position, rather than improve it.”
Fisher Price cassette player (1980)
Used to play cassette tapes during Lesson 1: Safety Induction and Lesson 3: The Wheels on the Bus
Lesson 09: Learning Survival Strategies from Survival Shows
Léann Herlihy as Ranger Herlihy
“In a journal titled The Instructional Capacity of Reality Television: Learning Survival Strategies from Survival Shows,1 researchers noted that ‘observational learning’ is the main framework for audience members to absorb information. For observational learning to have peak efficiency, a viewer needs to identify with the model. This can be through credibility and/or perceived similarity with identity markers, such as gender, race, sexuality, size and ability.
With its lack of diversity in gender, race, sexuality, size and ability, it would be safe to say that Doomsday Preppers teaches the majority of the population nothing. So who are the prospective students of this private-prep-school? The target audience for Doomsday Preppers are 44-year-old white cis heterosexual men. So what are these raging rascals taught?”
1 Kosenko, K., Laboy, J. and Schmidt, D., 2018. The Instructional Capacity of Reality Television: Learning Survival Strategies from Survival Shows. Athens Journal of Mass Media and Communications, 4(3), pp.193–204.
Léann Herlihy as Ranger Herlihy
“In a journal titled The Instructional Capacity of Reality Television: Learning Survival Strategies from Survival Shows,1 researchers noted that ‘observational learning’ is the main framework for audience members to absorb information. For observational learning to have peak efficiency, a viewer needs to identify with the model. This can be through credibility and/or perceived similarity with identity markers, such as gender, race, sexuality, size and ability.
With its lack of diversity in gender, race, sexuality, size and ability, it would be safe to say that Doomsday Preppers teaches the majority of the population nothing. So who are the prospective students of this private-prep-school? The target audience for Doomsday Preppers are 44-year-old white cis heterosexual men. So what are these raging rascals taught?”
1 Kosenko, K., Laboy, J. and Schmidt, D., 2018. The Instructional Capacity of Reality Television: Learning Survival Strategies from Survival Shows. Athens Journal of Mass Media and Communications, 4(3), pp.193–204.
Black-headed gull bird whistle
Maple wood and brass
Used to make bird sounds during Lesson 14: “The Very Tangible Investment”
Lesson 14:
“The Very Tangible Investment” 2
Léann Herlihy as Ranger Herlihy
“Welcome to The Survival Condo, a fifteen-story underground bunker founded by Doomsday Prepper alumni, Larry Hall.
Larry’s ‘self-perseverance’ project is tightly nestled in a dormant nuclear missile silo. Walking around this bunker, you’ll stumble upon an array of facilities which Larry believes fulfil the desires of civilisation:
︎ dog-walking park
︎ 14-foot rock climbing wall
︎ mechanical levels
︎ a medical bay
︎ food stores
︎ luxury living quarters
︎ classroom
︎ library
︎ gym
︎ cinema
︎ swimming pool
︎ shooting range
Officially registered as a real estate property in Kansas, The Survival Condo’s hook, line and sinker:
2 Hall, L. 2022. Survival Condo: The Very Tangible Investment. Survival Condo. Available at: <https://www.survivalcondo.com>.
Léann Herlihy as Ranger Herlihy
“Welcome to The Survival Condo, a fifteen-story underground bunker founded by Doomsday Prepper alumni, Larry Hall.
Larry’s ‘self-perseverance’ project is tightly nestled in a dormant nuclear missile silo. Walking around this bunker, you’ll stumble upon an array of facilities which Larry believes fulfil the desires of civilisation:
︎ dog-walking park
︎ 14-foot rock climbing wall
︎ mechanical levels
︎ a medical bay
︎ food stores
︎ luxury living quarters
︎ classroom
︎ library
︎ gym
︎ cinema
︎ swimming pool
︎ shooting range
Officially registered as a real estate property in Kansas, The Survival Condo’s hook, line and sinker:
The Very Tangible Investment.”
2 Hall, L. 2022. Survival Condo: The Very Tangible Investment. Survival Condo. Available at: <https://www.survivalcondo.com>.
Image courtesy of Garrett, B., 2021. Doomsday preppers and the architecture of dread. Geoforum, 127, pp.401–411.
Lesson 16: Beyond Survivalists
Léann Herlihy as Ranger Herlihy
“The wheels on this bus are going round and round
Round and round, round and round
And will soon come to a stop.
Continuing on in our journey beyond survival, we need to collectively build a future where both humans and nonhumans, deemed unproductive by utilitarian standards, are valued for their own nature. But also, we need to stray away from the ‘natural’, and know that these un-natural positions offer alternative views for imagining new, just, and sustainable ways of living beyond survival.
And it is at this transitional stage of our continuous process, that I am delighted to announce that all you wet and wild wanderers have now graduated as Beyond Survivalists.
BEEP BEEP!”
Léann Herlihy as Ranger Herlihy
“The wheels on this bus are going round and round
Round and round, round and round
And will soon come to a stop.
Continuing on in our journey beyond survival, we need to collectively build a future where both humans and nonhumans, deemed unproductive by utilitarian standards, are valued for their own nature. But also, we need to stray away from the ‘natural’, and know that these un-natural positions offer alternative views for imagining new, just, and sustainable ways of living beyond survival.
And it is at this transitional stage of our continuous process, that I am delighted to announce that all you wet and wild wanderers have now graduated as Beyond Survivalists.
BEEP BEEP!”
Beyond Survival Graduates (2022)
photograph courtesy of the artist
Beyond Survival Badges (2022)
designed by Léann Herlihy & digitally embroidered by Gabriel Monade