LOK took great pleasure in his role of performer at the FRAC Occitanie in Montpellier from 7 October to 5 November, 2017. The team consisted of like-minded artists, performers and dancers who shared their experience with the public during the seven representations of B!rdbra!n (Afterwards). Originally, Emily Mast created this performance based on the real story of Alex, a parrot who used signs and language in a laughter-provokingly intelligent manner. In B!rdbra!n, we can witness various means of "language" explored, and their limitations exposed. From different sorts of signs (baseball codes, sign language for the hearing impaired, body language) through dance moves to familiar gestures, writing, and facial expressions, not forgetting sounds (individual speech sounds, noise, song) - we get involved in a large span of communicative possibilities. Involved, indeed, because the audience plays an essential part of this performance. Their reactions and sensations inspire the interpreters who are free to improvise and come up with different variations of the framework Mast established. The objects around the artist performers (inspired by Guy de Cointet's performance settings) interact with the collective space and all beings within it. A video of the original performance shot in New York and projected in a closed space during the performance provides further possibilities of interpretation. Here's a short video shot during the rehearsal period of B!rdbra!n (Afterwards) and the opening of the Montpellier performance at the FRAC Occitanie in October 2017.
Why we like it:
The exploration of "unusual" ways of expression resonates well with QVE's research of unusual sensations and perceptions of the world around and inside us. The elimination of limits between the audience and the interpreters is a common goal for the artists and performers involved in the project. In a certain respect, B!rdbra!n can be understood as an attempt to share collective experiences instead of passively watching a traditional show or performance.
https://artcontemporain-languedocroussillon.fr/evenement-1077.html
