PERFORMA IS A PERFORMANCE ART BIENNIAL CREATED BY ROSELEE GOLDBERG IN 2004 THAT HAS COMMISSIONED AND FEATURED PERFORMANCES BY HUNDREDS OF ARTISTS INCLUDING MARINA ABRAMOVIĆ, MIKE KELLEY, AND RASHID JOHNSON. THE ROMANCE OF JOSEPH BEUYS’ AKTIONS AT DOCUMENTA IN THE SEVENTIES ALWAYS THRILLED ME AND, IN MY HEAD, PERFORMA IS THE EVOLUTION OF THAT.
THIS YEAR, HUN SOMEHOW WOUND UP PERFORMING IN IT AS A MEMBER OF CECILIA BENGOLEA’S DANCE GROUP.
SEEING HUN FOLLOW HER INSTINCTS TO PERFORM MADE ME CONSIDER MY OWN; I HAD ALWAYS REGARDED PERSONAL BEHAVIOR, SOCIAL AND MORAL, AS SOMETHING TO QUIETLY BUT DILIGENTLY WORK ON IMPROVING. BUT AT 58, I FIND MYSELF, FOR BETTER OR WORSE, PERFORMING.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEHAVIOR AND PERFORMANCE IMPLIES FALSENESS AND REHEARSAL IN THE LATTER. BUT MAYBE CONCENTRATION ON BEHAVIOR CAN BE A BIT PASSIVELY DRY? AND PERFORMANCE A JOYOUS CONTRIBUTION? LIKE COMPETITIVE SPORT OR ORCHESTRA CONDUCTING? ( SHOUT-OUT TO CURRENT FAVE, TEODOR CURRENTZIS). OUR INSTAGRAM GENERATION MAKES REFINING BEHAVIOR VS INDULGING IN PERFORMANCE A WEIRD NEW BALANCING ACT...
AS A RESULT, THERE IS A HEAVY DOSE OF THEATER IN THIS COLLECTION- SHOULDERS ARE MONSTROUS AND ARMS EXTENDED AND EXTRA SPINDLY. THERE ARE GARISH SNAKESKINS, LEOPARD-PRINTED SATINS AND BLEACHED SEAWOLF PATCHWORK... BUT THESE ARE JUST FLOURISHES DUSTING A COLLECTION THAT IS PREDOMINANTLY MUTED IN GRAY CASHMERES IN MULTIPLE WEIGHTS DRAPED AND WRAPPED GENTLY AROUND THE BODY.
CASHMERE KNITS IN GRAY AND BLUE ARE PEELED UP AND DOWN LEGS, ARMS, AND TORSOS, REVEALING THIN DRAPED T-SHIRTS BENEATH...
SOME KNITS ARE TRACED IN LINEAR GRAPHICS SIMILAR TO WHAT KANSAI YAMAMOTO DID FOR BOWIE IN THE SEVENTIES (THIS COLLECTION IS VERY KANSAI/BEUYS...).
THESE ARE WORN UNDER SEAMLESSLY CONSTRUCTED TRANSLUCENT VINYL HOODED COATS... AND DOUBLE FACED CASHMERE ROBES AND MANTLES.
TAILORING COMES IN CROPPED FELTED JACKETS WITH A HIGH SHARP SHOULDER OR HULKING BLANKET COATS MIMICKING LE CORBUSIER’S MODULOR MAN.
THERE ARE SWISHY SATIN PYJAMAS OR BIKER LOOKS IN BLACK LEATHER OR BRIGHT BLUE PIRARUCU.
SHOES ARE EITHER SWAGGERING PLATFORMS WITH METAL TOE GUARDS AND TRANSPARENT HEELS, OR RUNNERS FROM OUR CONTINUING COLLAB WITH SUSTAINABILITY CHAMPIONS VEJA, IN BRIGHT RUST AND YELLOW THIS SEASON.
MUSIC IS A COMPOSITION BY VOGUING MASTER MIKEQ THAT I HAD COMMISSIONED FOR THE POMPIDOU PERFORMANCE WE DID IN OCTOBER- WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE MILKED IT.
THERE WAS A FRENCH 1930S CABARET PERFORMER NAMED CÉCILE SOREL WHO WOULD MAKE HER ENTRANCE WALKING DOWN A LONG STAIRCASE AND WHEN SHE REACHED THE BOTTOM WOULD ASK THE AUDIENCE “HOW WELL DID I DESCEND?” I USED THIS PHRASE AS THE TITLE TO THE ONLY BOOK I THOUGHT I WOULD EVER WRITE... SINCE THEN I HAVE DONE 4...
CASTING AM CASTING (CLM)
MAKEUP KARIM RAHMAN (OPEN TALENT PARIS)
HAIR DUFFY (STREETERS)
PRODUCTION LA MODE EN IMAGES
MUSIC EXCLUSIVE MIX BY MIKEQ OF QWEEN BEAT