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Friday, October 16, 2020
Through Site-Specific Spectacle, Aerial Artist Jo Kreiter Is Exposing the Human Toll of the Prison System
Dance Magazine: There is a tragic timeliness to Flyaway Productions' Meet Us Quickly With Your Mercy. As the nation grapples with systemic racism and police brutality, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, choreographer Jo Kreiter's new aerial work seeks to amplify the call for ending the mass incarceration that disproportionately affects people of color.
10 comments:
Kaisa Lee
said...
This article was very interesting for me to read. One of my friend's moms used to be a psychologist at San Quentin prison and I have been fortunate enough to go on a tour there. I also have worked at a small nonprofit theater in the Tenderloin so I was drawn to this article. I believe that if you do theater in the TL the community must be supported and invited because it is their neighborhood. The theater I worked at had a lot of community outreach and programs, it was a part of the neighborhood. I think the choice of just performing this piece in the TL without any of that is just using the space as a statement without doing much good. It is an interesting concept and I am glad that the artist corresponded with people who are incarcerated to make this piece. I would be interested to see it.
I love this concept. I think art is so influential to social change and that’s why I went into theater. They mention this in the article but there is something foreign about policies but people understand things through stories. So theater helps people explore and wrestle with tough topics and emerge a changed person in some way, hopefully a better person. And by making art accessible to all it can change communities and in turn, society as a whole. I like how they collaborated with someone who isn’t an artist and used his Articles to create a dance. I hope to collaborate with a wide range of individuals in order to get unique ideas and perspectives in the futeure. Also working with a social justice advocate and turn what we are both passionate about into art sounds like an interesting project.
I loved this article. There are so many smart choices being made to set this project up for success. The location of the event to highlight the levels of social inequality as well as being across the street from the location used to transition people from incarceration to society, are great to speak to the audience about the very people around them. The use of art as a seed-planting for change is so apt. I have used TV and movies to help show friends and family that people in different situations from their own are still people living their own lives.
I wonder if instead if there was ever the possibility of doing the duet with two performers who live together instead of making them a distanced duet.
"Art can be seed-planting. It changes people and how they think." I love that. I've always thought that in order for a lot of things to happen in life, whether that be growth, personal change, societal change, etc., there needs to be a very deep understanding towards the world and humans and everything going on around you. That's challenging because there is so much to learn/familiarize yourself with and so much to understand. But in my experience, art has opened so many doors for me to understand things that I might not have been familiar with. Like Kreiter says, it plants a seed. There have been many times when I'm reading a play, or even a book, and something clicks inside of me- I'm able to make connections and gain a better understanding of things that I would have never expected to understand. Even looking at artworks- it plants something inside of you, an understanding of what that artist was going through and what was going on around them. With everything going on now, I'm hoping that the work that Keiter and others are doing will help others to understand the struggles and misfortunes, and strike something within people to try and make a change.
I found this article interesting in multiple ways. First, I appreciated how the choreographer of Meet Us collaborated with a writer who was not afraid to criticize the work. She was told the harsh reality that her piece at first promoted white-saviorism, and that instead, collaboration with black voices needed to be a focus. Despite sometimes trying to do good deeds, intention can manifest itself in the wrong ways, and it is important to hear criticism and look for advice from affected crowds before damage is done and misconceptions are spread. Another thing I appreciate about this article was the fact that Kreiter addressed art as a simple, accessible, and effective medium that can get thoughts off the ground about complex issues like corruption in the prison industrial complex. It is such a complicated issue with many facets that need to be addressed, and for an average citizen it can be overwhelming to digest; therefore, art regarding the issue creates a much more palpable and visual concept that in turn is more encouraging to viewers.
I love seeing people find meaning in performance. Especially in our world right now, it can be so hard to find your voice. It must be difficult to collaborate with someone who is incarcerated, but that adds so much power and meaning to the piece in my opinion. One line that really stood out to me was "It's hard to change the frame when you're reading policy. But art can be seed-planting. It changes people and how they think." Performance tells stories that are sometimes too hard to speak, and it can be very powerful in changing people's minds. I look forward to following this production as it finalizes.
I wish I had the opportunity to see this production. It’s a piece that is necessary right now, as it touches on both the prison industrial complex and white supremacy in our nation. One of the reasons I love art and performance so much is because it can allow people to see other perspectives and then shape their own. One phrase that really sticks out to me from the article was how “art can be seed planting.” I think this production can plant that seed in people and change how they view both people in prison but also the prison system as a whole. I appreciated how much thought went into each choice making this production, such as choosing the Tenderloin district because of its wealth inequality. Lastly, I would love to see this because I am such a big fan of all aerial arts. It’s amazing how people are able to make something so challenging look so effortless.
This is the definition of evocative and substantive theatre work that is pushing the boundaries of how we perceive each other and the work around us. What choreographer Jo Kreiter has been able to accomplish with her aerial work is absolutely inspiring and the type of work that is warranted in this moment in which we are examining our systemic racism and relationship with the police. The performance is a site-specific piece of performance art and aerial choreography. The piece that the article talks about is so interesting, it is entitled “Meet Us” and focuses on who can and should have input in ending mass incarceration. What I love is that it is part of a three-part series of performance art that examines the prison industrial complex. The first project she did was entitled “The Wait Room” and the choreographer explored her own experience as a woman with incarcerated loved ones. This is amazing work that will definitely resonate with some people
This sounds like a really powerful piece that is being put on. I would really enjoy watching it honestly. This is such an important issue that we are facing right now and it is inextricably linked to the Black Lives Matter movement, so bringing it to light in this moment is really important and all the more powerful because of it. I think the creator is right not to want to postpone this work. It is more relevant now than it really ever has been. The idea of a collaboration between someone in jail and someone outside is really powerful too. I love the idea of this connection being made and used as a catalyst for such a moving art piece. On another note, I think ariel dancing is actually a really good idea for a socially distanced show, because the audiences will inevitably be more spread out than normal and probably in places that are not ideal for viewing theater. This makes what is happening on a flat stage really hard for everyone to see, but incorporating the vertical space as well is really smart.
This is a really fascinating piece! I think that taking advantage of art as a way to communicate experiences that our different from our own or may be different than an audience members’ is a really impressive way to engage people. I think it is even more fascinating that this is being done by an aerial artist. In my ART section, we keep circling back to the idea of whether or not a theatre should be providing context or conveying themes for the audience to look at the work through beforehand, or if the theatre should simply not tackle a piece that they are not confident that they can communicate the themes and context they want the audience to walk away with without any sort of explained context. I really appreciate the thought that has gone into this piece that, in my impression, is able to convey these themes solely through their work in an immaculate way. I hope that Kieter’s work is able to reach a really wide platform, so more and more people begin to become familiar with this discussion.
10 comments:
This article was very interesting for me to read. One of my friend's moms used to be a psychologist at San Quentin prison and I have been fortunate enough to go on a tour there. I also have worked at a small nonprofit theater in the Tenderloin so I was drawn to this article. I believe that if you do theater in the TL the community must be supported and invited because it is their neighborhood. The theater I worked at had a lot of community outreach and programs, it was a part of the neighborhood. I think the choice of just performing this piece in the TL without any of that is just using the space as a statement without doing much good. It is an interesting concept and I am glad that the artist corresponded with people who are incarcerated to make this piece. I would be interested to see it.
I love this concept. I think art is so influential to social change and that’s why I went into theater. They mention this in the article but there is something foreign about policies but people understand things through stories. So theater helps people explore and wrestle with tough topics and emerge a changed person in some way, hopefully a better person. And by making art accessible to all it can change communities and in turn, society as a whole. I like how they collaborated with someone who isn’t an artist and used his Articles to create a dance. I hope to collaborate with a wide range of individuals in order to get unique ideas and perspectives in the futeure. Also working with a social justice advocate and turn what we are both passionate about into art sounds like an interesting project.
I loved this article. There are so many smart choices being made to set this project up for success. The location of the event to highlight the levels of social inequality as well as being across the street from the location used to transition people from incarceration to society, are great to speak to the audience about the very people around them. The use of art as a seed-planting for change is so apt. I have used TV and movies to help show friends and family that people in different situations from their own are still people living their own lives.
I wonder if instead if there was ever the possibility of doing the duet with two performers who live together instead of making them a distanced duet.
"Art can be seed-planting. It changes people and how they think." I love that. I've always thought that in order for a lot of things to happen in life, whether that be growth, personal change, societal change, etc., there needs to be a very deep understanding towards the world and humans and everything going on around you. That's challenging because there is so much to learn/familiarize yourself with and so much to understand. But in my experience, art has opened so many doors for me to understand things that I might not have been familiar with. Like Kreiter says, it plants a seed. There have been many times when I'm reading a play, or even a book, and something clicks inside of me- I'm able to make connections and gain a better understanding of things that I would have never expected to understand. Even looking at artworks- it plants something inside of you, an understanding of what that artist was going through and what was going on around them. With everything going on now, I'm hoping that the work that Keiter and others are doing will help others to understand the struggles and misfortunes, and strike something within people to try and make a change.
I found this article interesting in multiple ways. First, I appreciated how the choreographer of Meet Us collaborated with a writer who was not afraid to criticize the work. She was told the harsh reality that her piece at first promoted white-saviorism, and that instead, collaboration with black voices needed to be a focus. Despite sometimes trying to do good deeds, intention can manifest itself in the wrong ways, and it is important to hear criticism and look for advice from affected crowds before damage is done and misconceptions are spread. Another thing I appreciate about this article was the fact that Kreiter addressed art as a simple, accessible, and effective medium that can get thoughts off the ground about complex issues like corruption in the prison industrial complex. It is such a complicated issue with many facets that need to be addressed, and for an average citizen it can be overwhelming to digest; therefore, art regarding the issue creates a much more palpable and visual concept that in turn is more encouraging to viewers.
I love seeing people find meaning in performance. Especially in our world right now, it can be so hard to find your voice. It must be difficult to collaborate with someone who is incarcerated, but that adds so much power and meaning to the piece in my opinion. One line that really stood out to me was
"It's hard to change the frame when you're reading policy. But art can be seed-planting. It changes people and how they think."
Performance tells stories that are sometimes too hard to speak, and it can be very powerful in changing people's minds.
I look forward to following this production as it finalizes.
I wish I had the opportunity to see this production. It’s a piece that is necessary right now, as it touches on both the prison industrial complex and white supremacy in our nation. One of the reasons I love art and performance so much is because it can allow people to see other perspectives and then shape their own. One phrase that really sticks out to me from the article was how “art can be seed planting.” I think this production can plant that seed in people and change how they view both people in prison but also the prison system as a whole. I appreciated how much thought went into each choice making this production, such as choosing the Tenderloin district because of its wealth inequality. Lastly, I would love to see this because I am such a big fan of all aerial arts. It’s amazing how people are able to make something so challenging look so effortless.
This is the definition of evocative and substantive theatre work that is pushing the boundaries of how we perceive each other and the work around us. What choreographer Jo Kreiter has been able to accomplish with her aerial work is absolutely inspiring and the type of work that is warranted in this moment in which we are examining our systemic racism and relationship with the police. The performance is a site-specific piece of performance art and aerial choreography. The piece that the article talks about is so interesting, it is entitled “Meet Us” and focuses on who can and should have input in ending mass incarceration. What I love is that it is part of a three-part series of performance art that examines the prison industrial complex. The first project she did was entitled “The Wait Room” and the choreographer explored her own experience as a woman with incarcerated loved ones. This is amazing work that will definitely resonate with some people
This sounds like a really powerful piece that is being put on. I would really enjoy watching it honestly. This is such an important issue that we are facing right now and it is inextricably linked to the Black Lives Matter movement, so bringing it to light in this moment is really important and all the more powerful because of it. I think the creator is right not to want to postpone this work. It is more relevant now than it really ever has been. The idea of a collaboration between someone in jail and someone outside is really powerful too. I love the idea of this connection being made and used as a catalyst for such a moving art piece. On another note, I think ariel dancing is actually a really good idea for a socially distanced show, because the audiences will inevitably be more spread out than normal and probably in places that are not ideal for viewing theater. This makes what is happening on a flat stage really hard for everyone to see, but incorporating the vertical space as well is really smart.
This is a really fascinating piece! I think that taking advantage of art as a way to communicate experiences that our different from our own or may be different than an audience members’ is a really impressive way to engage people. I think it is even more fascinating that this is being done by an aerial artist. In my ART section, we keep circling back to the idea of whether or not a theatre should be providing context or conveying themes for the audience to look at the work through beforehand, or if the theatre should simply not tackle a piece that they are not confident that they can communicate the themes and context they want the audience to walk away with without any sort of explained context. I really appreciate the thought that has gone into this piece that, in my impression, is able to convey these themes solely through their work in an immaculate way. I hope that Kieter’s work is able to reach a really wide platform, so more and more people begin to become familiar with this discussion.
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