And then there’s this...

Vis a vis yesterday’s post ... I have definite prejudices regarding art. I’m much more interested in something that, to my mind, is saying something important about the world we live in. The emerging artists featured in the FT magazine were turning a mirror on the societies they lived in in ways that were courageous and cunning--staying one step ahead of the censors. By way of contrast, here are two samples from the Belfast International Arts festival catalogue I read today--all 68 pages:

“The Dog Days Are Over is a scorching performance made up of only one physical act: the jump. It is a repetitive fever dream, an exhausting battle in which the dancer is staged as a vain, persevering and purely executing species, striving for perfection.”

Nor will I attend:

“Thank You for Coming is a series of works in which the Bessie Award winning choreographer, Faye Driscoll, extends the sphere of influence of performance to create a communal space where the co-emergent social moment is questioned, heightened, and palpable. Through each distinct iteration Driscoll is asking “How do we perceive ourselves as participants in the co-creation of our reality, and through performance can we collectively create a new vision of society?”

For me the answer is no. I used to go to Philly Fringe Festival events to broaden my mind, then walk out of the theatre (or warehouse, or unconventional performance space) scratching my head and wishing I’d saved my subway fare. Luckily, I found plenty of things in the arts catalogue to attend--more than I can attend. They tend to do with Irish history and politics. Maybe I lack imagination but I just don’t have time for things that leave me looking around the audience wondering if everyone else is in on a joke that I missed.
10-17