Hannah Krafcik and I are currently working on a multi-year performance project called The Swirl (working title). This work takes optical illusions as a conceptual line of inquiry, where "optics" do not simply refer to the function of sight, but rather to how something is perceived in many senses. Within this work we seek to condition our bodyminds to an infinitude of shifting vantages, playing with the ways that multiple meanings hide in plain view.

In many ways The Swirl is a reaction to the superimposed binaries and/or categories that hem us in. Binary options for political alignment—with one ideology and against another—preclude individual capacity to take in the complexity and nuance that might blur personal conviction. Through The Swirl, we are working with the notion of two bodies as a "set" (distinct entities with similarities and differences) rather than a binary or categorizable pair. In a set, qualities can converge and diverge, and differences can be present without existing in direct contrast. We think the paradigm of swirling sets that converge and diverge is a useful framing that can help disrupt the social violence that often accompanies imposed binaries and categories.

We intend that this project culminate in an evening-length performance circa 2026/27 featuring dancing and new media. In the meantime, we seek sites for in-progress, research-oriented iterations of the work to support the development of our concept and choreography. 

Upcoming

Berm, Issue Five Joy

Berm is a contemporary arts magazine based out of Portland, OR. Hannah and I share some of our thoughts in relation to The Swirl in the forthcoming issue. purchase here.

Reclaiming Artistic Research with Lucy Cotter

Book Launch and Performance at Stelo Arts April 27th, 2024 / 4PM-6PM

Lucy Cotter will launch the expanded second edition of her book Reclaiming Artistic Research. At this event Hannah and I will enact DISTANCE RITUALS, a collaborative project by one of the book’s new artist contributors, Yo-Yo Lin (with Yidan Zeng). Additionally, Hannah and I will perform the first public iteration of The Swirl.