Onlookers were dazed and confused by a mock protest held in the Quad by the University’s performance art class. It started with two opposing groups, one dressed all in red and the other in blue, carrying blank signs and banners. Both groups marched into the Quad from opposing entrances chanting, “1-2-3-4. This is what we’re fighting for. 5-6-7-8. We are here to mediate.” A war of words erupted when both groups met in the middle of the Quad — both sides screaming and yelling about nothing in particular. Then, a voice from a loudspeaker said, “Stop! Hammer time!” and everyone danced to M.C. Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This” together. Immediately following the dance, the “angry” mob ceased and exited from where they entered the Quad — some of the blue group left with the red group and vice versa. Leo Madriz, studio art senior, said the demonstration was for his performance art class. “Basically, we decided to do a class collaboration as a condition for a public performance,” Madriz said. “It was meant to be a parody of how society handles arguments.” The initial goal was to be loud and attract attention without anyone knowing the actual cause, he said. “We’re poking fun at society,” he said. “And the 20-second dance party indicated there may be a few minutes of unity.” Kit French, sculpture graduate student, was part of the Red Team. “There was definitely a spirit of protest going into it,” French said. “We didn’t know what we were fighting for. We were just bonded by color.” The intermingling of blues with reds at the end was no accident, French said. “We were trying to show that there’s often more commonalities between two opposing parties than we know,” she said. But the message was lost on many who watched the performance. “I didn’t know what they were doing,” said Kavaughn Henry, mechanical engineering freshman. Hezy Washington, mechanical engineering freshman, said he knew the groups were protesting something, but he didn’t know what. Brandi Batiste, human relations education sophomore, said she heard the screams and decided to sit in the Quad to see what was going to happen. “I was confused,” said India Phillips, sociology sophomore. –Contact Sarah Eddington at [email protected]