The Photographic Performance series 

 is a site specific performance event whose central strategy is the re-staging of archival photos in the tradition of tableau vivant.   Seen in the context of a walking tour or performance hike, these live performance "photos" or dioramas occur on or close to the spot where the photograph was originally taken.     This series includes  performances in:    New York City (2000)  Chicago (2001) San Francisco (2002)  Boston (2002) Jacob's Pillow (2004) and Picture Jasper Ridge (2012).   Performers, cast in the  likeness to the people in the photographs, perform in stillness and are costumed to exactly replicate the original photograph.   These re- stagings result in  a dynamic collision between the historical moment in the photograph  re-enacted in the context of  the surrounding present.

Picture Jasper Ridge (2012) was a performance hike at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve in Woodside, CA.  This event was commissioned by Stanford's Institute for the Arts and Stanford University's Department of Theater, Performance Studies and Dance and Stanford's Institute for the Arts.    Picture Jasper Ridge was a guided one hour silent hike through a portion of this 1100 acre preserve, where eight photographs were re-staged. 

Boston (Any Day Now) 

Carlson re-staged an one archival photo from 1916 at the site of the bear cage in Boston's Franklin Park as part of the Vita Brevis program at the ICA/Boston.  Curated by Caroleanne Mehan. 

Chicago (Night Light) 

Carlson re-staged a number of archival photos in Chicago's loop, seen as part of the a self guided walking tour and presented by Susan Lipmann at Performing Arts Chicago and the Chicago Art Institute.