No relationship is safe from the undeniable forces of curiosity and boredom. When we meet that one person who understands us, who makes us feel safe enough to allow ourselves to reveal all of us, who never leaves when things get messy, it’s easy for others looking in to see these relationships as codependent; especially when we get stuck in the cycles of our daily routine, spending every moment by each others’ side. When others’ thoughts about our relationships are revealed, they can seep into the cracks already brewing within them, fanning the flames which live on the backburner in our minds and breeding the insecurities we have about our own relationships. When these outside forces grow too strong, we can lose ourselves in them, becoming completely engulfed by the flames. Hearsay, rumors, and gossip are a part of our world, but aren’t so dangerous when we have a strong shield from them. However, if we fail to address the underlying issues in our relationships, the cracks in our shields become obvious, leaving us without shelter from the fire. The Experiment by Kiersten DeLorey explores the dynamics of the “dynamic duo”, asking what happens when these kinds of relationships become too dynamic, or too stationary. It follows two friends who upon discovering how their other friends view their relationship and feeling bored with what has become their normality, hatch a plan to figure out what would happen if they split up. The outside forces which they feed the flames to become too powerful for them to handle. Even though they think they are in control, fires are unpredictable. When a match is struck, there is no going back. Will they realize this and be able to extinguish the flame before it grows too strong, or will someone they love put their hands too close to the fire, leaving them burned?‍

-Written by Liam Gorelin