"The mystical night began with a magic show by magician Confetti Eddie, who performed tricks such as making stacks of money appear from pieces of green tissue paper, as well as making objects disappear and reappear."
PolaCon 10 brings the town of ‘Twin Peaks’ to Denton
A red velvet curtain is pulled away to reveal a fog-filled room decorated with blue roses, fake owls and a singular statue replicating the Venus de Milo sculpture, sitting on top of a zig-zag rug.
On the other side of the wall, the blaring vocals and instruments of local bands SEVIT and MOMWOW fill the room.
The stark contrast in settings is a part of “Photos from a Black Lodge: A ‘Twin Peaks’ Celebration,” which took place on Sept. 27 at Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studio. The event celebrated 35 years of the television show “Twin Peaks” (1990), in tandem with the 10th annual Denton instant film convention, PolaCon.
“I think that [this is] on the surface level of what brings us together, it's just more the visual aesthetic,” said Kayla Plunkett, attendee and Dallas resident. “But I think it's more that there's a like-mindedness for people who love David Lynch and love ‘Twin Peaks.’ There's just a shared connection.”
The themed night was one of three Rubber Gloves events part of PolaCon, organized by the Instant Film Society.
Created by surrealist filmmaker David Lynch, “Twin Peaks” follows the murder of teenager Laura Palmer in a small town, provoking an investigation that reveals darker secrets than the death of one girl. The ’90s show gained immediate popularity upon airing, amassing over 30 million views on its first episode alone, mainly due to the eccentric, dreamlike atmosphere the storyline and characters create — a combination signature of Lynch’s films.
“I like that I can never figure out what's going to happen next,” Plunkett said. “It’s so rich and it's such a neat story that, in many ways, is grounded in reality. It's just a small town and a diner and a murder, right? But then it just goes off in these wild directions.”
The mystical night began with a magic show by magician Confetti Eddie, who performed tricks such as making stacks of money appear from pieces of green tissue paper, as well as making objects disappear and reappear.
In addition to opening the show with magic, the event hosted a music lineup from 7-11 p.m., consisting of Lily Taylor, a vocalist and BandwithTX radio show host, as well as bands SEVIT, Deep Red and MOMWOW.
The second band to play, SEVIT, was formed in 2017 as a new wave, post-punk group, but underwent a change in its current member lineup in 2022, transitioning to synth and dark wave genres.
The “Twin Peaks” celebration was the group’s first time playing at Rubber Gloves.
“I've always wanted to play at Rubber Gloves,” said Maddie Fritz, a SEVIT band member and university master's student. “It's definitely been awesome, and it's definitely been a long time coming. I mean, everyone here has been super sweet, […] it's just really nice to see the community come out and support each other in Denton.”
Fritz said she believes Lynch’s works, such as “Twin Peaks,” his debut feature film “Eraserhead” (1977) and “Blue Velvet” (1986) are captivating in terms of soundtrack, cinematography and “weirdness” in storytelling. She credits Lynch as one of her and the band’s influences.
“A lot of our lyrical topics can be a little dark,” Fritz said. “And so I think he's kind of inspired me to be able to be weird and strange and dark in your art and not be afraid to just let that part of you be shown in your creative endeavors.”
Continuing with the TV show’s theme, the event arranged the venue’s Rubber Room to replicate the Black Lodge, a sinister alternate dimension frequently visited in the show, allowing attendees to sit in cushion chairs and have their photos taken in the iconic space.
The recreated Black Lodge held a dance set by Rob Buttrum, who went by DJ DreamLover69 for the late-night portion of the event from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Before Buttrum’s set, he played music from Lynch’s films, such as “Laura Palmer’s Theme” from “Twin Peaks,” “In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song)” from “Eraserhead” and Roy Orbison’s “In Dreams” from “Blue Velvet.”
“[The show] is one of the all-time greatests,” Buttrum said. “The mood, tension, the mystery, the certainty, just everything that you want out of something that you're going to keep watching.”
Buttrum has been with PolaCon since its inception, either DJing, performing live or presenting at the event. He said it has been awesome to watch the convention grow throughout the past decade.
“Denton has a good photography slash instant film scene already,” Buttrum said. “So it's cool just to see outsiders also coming in and seeing it.”
In the first episode of “Twin Peaks,” Dale Cooper sits down at the town’s local diner and enjoys a piece of pie and a “damn fine cup of coffee.” In addition to live music and “Twin Peaks” themed photo opportunities, attendees celebrated the series with a slice of cherry pie and a cup of coffee.
The scene, like the rest of the show, has remained iconic and memorable since its release, Fritz said.
With the show turning 35 this year, the event provided a chance for “Twin Peaks” fans, such as Taylor, to celebrate what made the series special to them.
“David Lynch is not for everybody,” Taylor said. “That’s important, we need people to remind us of the surreal aspects of life. […] I think that it's a way to express a bit of humanity that's not so baked like a cake […] it's not so predictable and reminds us that we can be unpredictable, we can be creative, we can be weirdos and that's okay.”
