Dear newsletter it’s me, Lauren,
How’s everyone doing? Good? Good. Sorry to put words in your mouth. It’s just that I hope you’re doing good. I’m ok. I’m waiting for things which means I’m restless and unproductive. Waiting is terrible until you realize that the alternative is actually worse. Imagine not waiting for anything. So depressing. Can you tell how pre-menstrual I am? I couldn’t until just now when I accidentally opened powerpoint, felt inexplicable rage, read back what I just wrote, checked my period tracker app and quietly said, “ooooh 🙃”. For a while, I thought the upside-down smiley meant you’re so happy you could do some sort of gymnastics floor routine until someone barely younger informed me that it's actually sarcasm/exasperation. I have remarkably little to say.
Visual/performing art influences for When we speak at the same time we speak the same language.
Ballet Triadisches (the Bauhaus Ballet) by Oskar Shlemmer
Neither I nor anyone else will ever make anything as wonderful as the Bauhaus Ballet, but we can all keep trying.
What do stones smell like in the forest by Chloe Lum and Yannick Desranleau
I saw this at Mercer Union a few years ago and fell in love. It is so emotionally rife to the point of being ridiculous, the colours are great and while certain elements are kind of DIY and crafty, they are done in a way that is undeniable and make perfect sense. I remember wondering how artists are able to make things like this and how much time they had to spend explaining the idea to people so they’d help out. Turns out the answer to those questions and all others basically comes down to money and a lot of it.
My Favourite Shapes by Julio Torres
This is a comedy special about Torres’ favourite shapes and it is a masterpiece. Aside from being hilarious and completely engrossing, it is an excellent lesson in how to examine a concept from every angle and commit to being 100% yourself.
These are artists are neither a duo or a collective. I’ve grouped them together because they inspire me in nearly the same way. They create these immersive environments and video works that are firmly grounded in humor, earnestness and pop culture. Both of their respective work is incredibly smart while simultaneously being unequivocally fun and accessible.
That thing I once saw at the MET Breuer aka (C)arbon by Andrea Miller
Took me a minute to figure out what this piece was actually called. It was, in a word, captivating. I didn’t know I liked watching dance before this. It seems like it’d be boring because the costumes were minimal and it looks kind of pretentious, but it wasn’t. They were moving in this really intense laboured way that made you root for them. Also that big clay wall thing made everything sort of messy and it was oddly satisfying to see the clay get smooshed around.
Unus Mundi: Survival Ceremonies by Meg Lipke and Julia Gleich
I liked the way the sculptures looked like finished pieces of art and yet the dancers played with them as if they were any old prop. It was interesting to me because the sculptures have such a clear presence although the dance aspect gets prioritized. I thought it had some good lessons for collaboration and working inter-disciplinarily
Barbara Bloom
There isn’t any project in particular that comes to mind here, however I try to channel Barbara whenever I make any sort of installation work. I think she is excellent at using objects to create visual poetry and her sense of space is kooky without being uninviting.
I hope to have an update soon about the next project stages and if/when there will be another live performance. Thanks again for sticking around! <3