A lot of what we do in the SCA involves the appearance of
things. For instance, the clothing that we wear to events helps to identify the
actors and create an atmosphere of another time and place. Our fighters try to
look the part on the field, by creating armor that is shiny and fighting
clothing that is colorful. We like to do things like dance period dances and
play period games.
These things, much like a play, allow us to imagine, even
for a few hours – if imperfectly – that we are actually medieval people in a
medieval world. Clothing and activities that transport us to another time and
place have a lot to do with the success of an event. A few times, that success
might be so sublime that we experience what people call the “medieval moment” –
a feeling of reality that transcends the play.
The environment that we perform this play in is also a part
of that success. We dress up event spaces to keep them from being glaringly
modern; we are building the set for the play. In many ways, our backdrop is the
costume that the environment wears. That’s why many of us make canvas sun flies
rather than E-Z Ups, use medieval-looking chairs instead of aluminum-frame camp
chairs, and dress up our environment with colorful banners.
