From Goddard, With Love

This Friday marks the last day of workshops at Goddard's Fall 2010 MFA residency. We are all tired, but happy to be having our study plans approved, and to be going to our respective homes tomorrow.

Yesterday was a day full of loveliness. Petra, one of the faculty members here and her partner, Niel, gave a participatory performance based on the Berlin Holocaust Memorial, which currently does not have accessibility for disabled people, or people who have trouble walking such as elderly people. Petra, who is from Germany and uses a wheelchair to get around, and Niel, who is an American Jew and uses a wheelchair to get around, gave some context for the piece. During the Holocaust, not only were Jewish people and people of color prosecuted and killed, disabled individuals were, too. And Petra explains how this historical happening is reflected in Berlin today, as being a place that is very hard for disabled people to live as few efforts have been made to create accessible spaces and places.

Olympias is the name of Petra and Niel's collective, and they create participatory scores, or actions that invite the audience to experience art through just that (experience). They work this way, because many of the people in the collective are disabled, and for a variety of reasons, cannot commit to a regular rehearsal schedule. So, off we went. We participated in a ritual performance that was both beautifully simple and powerful. Lots of silence, and contemplation, touching of hands and being with people. The silence erupted into laughter, and back to soft breathing. The ritual reminded us of both the life and death experienced in the Holocaust, and the residual still present today. It reminded us of our own life and made us aware of the lives of others we share our lives with. It was beautiful. I was struck by how simple the ritual was. I think about how we are always trying to make the biggest, best thing, complicated with lots of flash. The more, the better, right? Not always. Being at this performance makes me want to experiment with some participatory dance presentations, and simple rituals. Scores and actions.

It is almost 10, and I have another workshop to attend!

~Cara