FORCES

I was lucky to see an Elizabeth Streb show back in December.  As I have been working on a set for an aerial acrobatics show, I find her work to be very inspiring. She explores movement on a very elemental level, and sometimes her work almost seems overly simplistic, and repetitive.  But I find it incredibly valuable to get to the root of the matter at hand, and as of yet I have not encountered anyone doing that in such a way as she.

I love the sketches she projects on the screen...

but the monologues are a bit much...

But then you forget about it when they start throwing I-beams around at you...

and flying around on pretty flying machines.

But probably my most favorite thing about Streb is their movable truss rig.  Its so simple, yet it affords so many different opportunities, simply by moving a truss along the Z axis. 

And  last but not least, we musn't forget about spatial sequencing!  Seeing a giant wall rotate forward before your eyes, to become the floor, and then a curtain slowly lowers to reveal a mini half wheel of death and the concrete wall beyond, is incredibly dramatic.

Min

As the new year kicks into gear and I settle into my new home in Bushwick, I am gathering together all of my spirit and inspiration to propel me forward into new creative adventures this year.  Here I would like to share pictures from Min, a show I saw back in the fall, created by Seanna Sharpe, circus girl extraordinaire.  I particularly loved this multifaceted climbing apparatus shown below. 

Jungle Gym Circus Inspiration

A few years ago, I helped design and build this:

(You can read more about it here.)  That has led me to develop a fascination with the circus, acrobats, and their equipment they climb on, as a great way to learn about architecture, and how the forms of things inform certain choreographies.

So now I find myself working on the design of another climbing structure, this one much bigger, and for now top secret.  But I can tell you that I have found a great source of inspiration in the most obvious but overlooked place - the playground.

This particular playground, recommended to me by a friend, has all of its jungle gyms build from basic industrial materials, and I think its great. 

If you're interested in learning more about playground design, I recommend the blog Playscapes.

Astral Converted

This past Friday I went to see Astral Converted at the Park Avenue Armory, my favorite art venue in the city.  The choreography is by Trisha Brown, set design by Robert Rauschenberg, and music by John Cage. Quite a combination!

"...eight metal towers, two each in heights of 2, 4, 6, and 8 feet.  They would be self contained and house all our theatrical gear, most of it from the auto industry: car batteries, headlights, stereo systems and sensors.  The sensors were pointed to trigger the lights and sound to turn on or off when a dancer passed.  Small control boards were added to achieve a degree of randomness to the dancer/sensor relationship."

"The costumes are shiny silver and white skintight unitards marked by white reflector stripes that augment visibility in the piercing striated lighting of the headlights. The women have a white triangular piece of fabric attached to the inseam of their costumes suggesting a skirt. Bob always differentiates between women and men.  In this case they look like a species, both genders present, and out there somewhere in deep space."

Excerts from "Collaboration: Life and Death in the Aesthetic Zone," by Trisha Brown, an essay that appears in Robert Rauschenberg: A Retrospective (1997)

I Finally Saw Pina

I finally saw the movie Pina, Wim Wenders' tribute to the late Pina Bausch.  The movie came so close to never happening, with Wenders wanting to cancel the filming after Bausch's death.  Yet here it is, in all its beauty, and I am thankful that it came together in the end.  You can read the full story here, and also listen to an interview with Wim Wenders on the making of the movie.

I Love the Park Avenue Armory

Last week I attended a performance by Shen Wei Dance Arts at the Park Avenue Armory. Not only was it an amazing show, but the space of the armory itself is always a huge part of why I love going there for shows.  If you haven't been there yet, go immediately.

New York City Center Falls for Dance

Last month I was lucky enough to get to go to the Fall for Dance Festival at the newly restored City Center.  Its beautiful!

The building was purchased by the city in 1943 so that mayor La Guardia could create a theater for the people.  There's a great article about it in the Architect's Newspaper.

Chicago Folk and Roots Festival

I'm still catching up on sharing all of the photos from my trip to Chicago and all of the great things I did and saw, like the Robie House, and the Pitchfork Music Festival.

Summers in Chicago are great for many reasons, but one of the best things is that there is so much free music happening everywhere.  I went with the great Julie Meckler to the Chicago Folk and Roots Festival next to the Old Town School of Folk Music.  We saw a lot of great musicians from all around the world, but the best part of the whole thing was the Puppet Bike!

We also saw this guy, Baloji, a Congolese hip-hop/rumba/soul/rap artist.  I love his outfit.

LE JOUR D'APRES / SIKU YA BAADAYE (INDEPENDANCE CHA-CHA) from BALOJI on Vimeo.


And the Soul Sonic Sircus!!  Take jazz, hip-hop, acrobatics and a performing Pit Bull and put it all together and that's what you get. They are so amazing that I didn't take any good pictures of them because I was too busy watching.