lipstick on the pig

Just looking at the unspeak blog again... there's got to be something we can do with the latest post (Oct 27) - lipstick on the pig! - to go with dogs that aren't actually in the room perhaps ;-)

greater upstate law project

another language category for another piece

huh?

well, since we're not getting very big "P" political with the work, here's a little post - and found in a bit of an unlikely spot - you never know what you find at the crossroads of technology, art & culture...

on this note, gotta go to work!

Straight up, no irony

I have to say I wasn't as impressed with The Forsythe Company's Three atmospheric studies as I was with their crazy group table dance last year. Not because I'm one of those plebs who like a bit of brain candy over substance in their entertainment; just because a whole evening of feeling angst about the world with no way forward isn't my idea of a really intelligent or original statement through dance! (Maybe the fact that Forsythe is making the statement through dance IS the original aspect. Sad.)
So anyway, these 3 pieces are obviously a statement on war, and especially on the U.S. war with Iraq. The first piece is not set to any kind of music or sound: a mesmerizing coordinated-random group event that allowed us to pick out individual agency in this large group but also to see synchronization in stop-motions mimicking the expressions of civilians caught in a cross-fire.
The second piece was a strange theatrical performance which I found a bit heavy-handed: there is a danger in trying to present such a straight anti-war message with no irony, and I found the non-postmodernity (er, modernity?) a bit much, except that the whole thing is punctuated with about 5 minutes of totally bizarre screaching and contortions by one performer, 'the mother of an arrested civilian', the mike sounds distorting her voice as she writhes around on the spot, pulling some awfully creepy faces -- this was very effective.
The last study was again a bit preachy, the members of the group playing different roles, and vaguely dressed to represent police, military, civilians, or politicans. Very loud explosive sounds played throughout, and a woman was declaiming the whole time in the role of an American spokesperson. Interesting use of sound, with the mikes in various dancers' possessions, their distorted chest-pounding creates a convincing atmosphere of bombardment and chaos.
Overall the pieces were a bit too political in a way I'm not crazy about, as a raging politico myself. Then again I'm not even keen on war movies - I don't see the point unless you're prepared to go out and do something about it -- it just comes across as a bit of whinging! Ok I'm being too harsh here. There are some excellent clever bits in here that make it very worthwhile. And that's my review!