Archives: Shows

Inspired by the idea of a forest bath or nature walk, A. Garden, or “Anthrophony (human made sound) Garden” encourages us to blur the distinctions between human and nature. Featuring Lake Dorn, YATTA and Keith N’Dong, with a live installation by Neda Mouzayanni, the audience is invited to take a moment of reprieve in this auditory garden. Under the prompt of regeneration and rebirth, each artist’s interpretation is enlivened through sonic based interventions.

“In the midst of thinking about our intricate relationships with the more than human world, the constant destruction and devastation amidst this beautiful resilient earth, it’s becoming more difficult to deny the fact that we and all things are inextricably linked. For the past two years, I’ve delved into research surrounding the earth that birthed me, with all paths, all routes to rebuilding bringing me right back to the land and the soil, first worn down by the plantation economy. While reflecting on processes of rematriation and in considering the possibilities of decolonial futures, I reflect on the growing polarities. Driving through Manchester looking out and seeing the mountains in the distance, there in the foreground is toxic molten red pools of bauxite tailings. Being amongst the trees in Jamaica and hearing all the natural world all around, you can immediately turn a corner to hear dancehall blaring from a small shop on the road side—lined with Ting, Rum, Red Stripe, Cheese Trix and assortment of other snacks, drinks, and small household items. There’s a constant reckoning with nature and all the things we’ve cultivated within it, resulting in a deeper understanding of our interconnectedness.” – Tara-Jo Tashna

With the understanding of the natural world being one in which humans are inextricably linked, the audience is invited to splendor, to imagine, to take a moment of reprieve in a space activated by human made sounds. A. Garden encourages each artist to activate the space in a way guided by a regenerative framework unique to their own interpretation, the audience is invited to bask in the auditory garden, leaving or bringing with them into the space what they please.

All three artists push the boundaries of conventionalities: Lake Dorn, a multidisciplinary artist, delves into their work with the ability to successfully cultivate an extremely strong and magnetic vocal and movement performance. This performance is their New York debut ahead of their impending second record which touches on themes of the hunt, resilience, and alignment. YATTA’s well received album PALM WINE, is a unique culmination of folk and pop assemblages. An artist and poet whose work has resulted in beautiful textural tapestries, they challenge typical notions of carefree whimsy with their genre bending sound. Keith N’Dong, a passionate multi-instrumentalist and dancer, burns the candle at both ends. Spanning multi-genres, their dedication to their craft results in both moody and energetic sonic iterations. Each maintains their own unique and distinct artistry threaded to culminate in a unique anthrophonic experience.

Inebria Me adapts Los Angeles-based composer, musician, and performance artist San Cha’s 2019 album of original music, La Luz de la Esperanza, into an experimental opera. Drawing inspiration from eclectic sources–Frederico Garcia Lorca, Robert Wilson, Winona Ryder in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and the Ecstasy of Saint Theresa to name a few– Inebria Me‘s captivating narrative and libretto are driven by San Cha’s personal and artistic influences. Her rural Mexican immigrant family life; Bay Area and Los Angeles drag, queer nightlife, and DIY communities; childhood participation in Catholic church choirs; and familial cross-border experiences all converge in a narrative arc that defies linear conventions. San Cha combines sonic performance with innovative lighting, scenic design, theatrical elements, and video, to celebrate the liberating power of ascendant relationships and offer a nuanced exploration of tragedy and love.

San Cha asserts queer Black and brown presence and perspectives while both honoring and subverting two long-standing traditions; she merges the structural framework and theatrical arc of opera with the melodramatic emotive essence and storytelling methodologies of telenovelas (internal dialogues and flashback sequences for example). A central facet of the work lies in the representation of gender binaries through the opulent art of drag, challenging societal norms with a deliberate exaggeration of gender roles. In general, Inebria Me queers and dispels the cisgender and heteronormative archetypes that dominated the telenovelas of San Cha’s youth. The work introduces the character Dolores, a beauty of humble means who, after marrying wealthy Salvador, finds herself caught in a web of jealousy and abuse. During a particularly dark moment, Esperanza, a gender-less being of light and empowerment, visits Dolores, giving her strength to escape Salvador’s control and realize her true value.

The cast, musicians, and creative team reflect a diverse spectrum of queerness and cultural identity and as San Cha is a consummate collaborator, their collaborative contributions to this work are central to the piece. Alongside vocalists San Cha, Dorian Wood, Carolina Oliveros, and stefa marin alarcon, Darian Donovan Thomas’ musical arrangements highlight the talents of Phong Tran and Lu Coy across strings, percussion, harp, horns, woodwinds, and modular synthesizer, in a composed live score that fuses the long notes and strong vibrato of ranchera music with cumbia, mariachi, punk, and classical, while remaining contemporary and electronic-forward. With creative direction by Gerardo Gonzalez, lighting by Pablo Santiago, scenic design by Anthony Robles, costume design by Fern Cerezo, hair & makeup design by Sonny Molina, and dramaturgy by William Ruiz Morales, this acclaimed and imaginative team is building a work that seamlessly embraces tradition and experimentation, queer histories and self-determined futures.

Inebria Me is co-commissioned by Performance Space New York; National Performance Network (NPN); Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA); Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana; and Roy & Edna Disney CalArts Theatre (REDCAT).

Additional support provided by Stylus; Denniston Hill; Oak Head; and The Limen Foundation.