Formulae & Fairy Tales: Sublime Dance from Invertigo Dance Theatre

Posted on by Diversions LA

Formulae_FairyTales 1 - credit Joe Lambie

When one looks at the word sublime in the dictionary – assuming we still look at dictionaries, of course – an illustration of the work of Invertigo Dance Theatre should accompany it.

Now at The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage in Santa Monica for one more night, September 14th only at 7:30 pm., Formulae & Fairy Tales tells the heartbreaking story of the life of Alan Turing, the mathematical genius and World War II codebreaker.

Using the ideas and images from his favorite film, Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the brilliant choreography of Laura Karlin, Invertigo Dance Theatre’s Founding Artistic Director, creates a dream-like, fascinating world of mathematics, artificial intelligence, and cryptography that is also a love story, and a tale that expresses great loneliness and injury.

BAo7zOIQ

Making strong use of the troupe’s floor-based dance movement and sinuous contemporary style, Formulae & Fairy Tales was one of 20 nationwide works selected for a prestigious New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project production grant. 

Invertigo will continue to tour Formulae & Fairy Tales during the 2020-21 season, starting with a performance at the University of Florida Performing Arts’ Phillips Center on February 5, 2020. Seriously, if you miss it in LA, it’s worth a plane ticket. 

sDKVSRtQ

For those unfamiliar with the story of Alan Turing, considered the father of artificial intelligence and the computer, this genius of  a computer scientist, mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, philosopher, and theoretical biologist basically broke German code and turned the tide of World War II. Despite this heroic victory, following the war, he was cruelly persecuted for being homosexual, convicted of “gross indecency” by the country he helped save, and in 1954, he died by eating an apple laced with cyanide, a desperate act that was likely inspired by Snow White. 

Karlin describes the dance performance as “a rejection of tragedy in favor of hope, redemption, and an implacable desire that our world be better for the people living in it,” which not only sums up Turing’s life and Karlin’s telling of his story, but also the troup’s truly give-back philosophy, with its Dancing through Parkinson’s program and various school programs.  And it just might sum up the palpable joy that vibrates through this Invertigo performance and those we’ve had the pleasure of seeing in the past.

3ZH92J1A

During the show, much witty, trenchant, and loving use is made of Turing’s love for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first animated feature to be produced in English and in Technicolor©. The muse of fractured film images as well as numbers, letters, and binary code is projected behind the dancers as they leap, writhe, soar, and collapse onto the stage. 

RhYim_rA

Karlin has managed to embody Turing’s creativity, his mathematical world, his hidden meanings, his secret love life. Throughout the 80 minute performance, the dancers’ movements often play on computational systems, on the known and unknown.

The end result is both magical and precise, story telling crafted from motion. And that motion often  mirrors the decoding of classified information in that dancers and viewers alike are bound to the mystery and resolution.

Karlin created the choreography in collaboration with the dancers: Cody Brunelle-Potter, Hyosun Choi, Jessica Dunn, Spencer Jensen, Corina Kinnear, Dominique McDougal, and Luke Dakota Zender. Composers Toby Karlin, Julia Kent, and Eric Mason’s music are also featured in the piece.

Karlin was compelled to create the work after hearing an NPR broadcast about Janna Levin’s book on Turing,  A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines;  the end result is both a beautiful tribute to Turing and a fresh representation of Levin’s fascinating material. Unlike the rather staid film about Turing’s life released in 2016, The Immitation Game, Karlin’s work gets into the heart, soul, and sensuous bones of her subject.

0gSp9E-w

The joy, defiance, and anguish in a final dance featuring Turing and his lover, meeting not lip to lip but with an apple clenched in their teeth between them, is absolutely brilliant. Like the production itself, this is an incredible, richly memorable moment in dance.

sY2jL45Q

When Karlin joined the dancers tonight for a final bow, the company received a well-deserved standing ovation.

 

Tickets are now on sale at www.thebroadstage.org or by calling 310.434.3200.

The Eli & Edythe Broad Stage is located at 1310 11th St. Santa Monica CA 90401. Parking is free.

  • Genie Davis; photos: Joe Lambie, George Simian – provided courtesy of Invertigo Dance Theatre

 

Experiencing Eric Thaller

Posted on by Diversions LA

vV8rlHOQ

Eric Thaller describes himself as “inspired by the human experience. The brilliant, the profound, the sad, the unimaginable. There is so much to learn.  And to share. I like to share and re-share through my work. I think this is the essence of art.”

And the essence of Thaller’s complex, asethetically thrilling work is experiential. According to the artist “I don’t want people to view my work.  I want them to experience my work. I endeavor to create imagery that is compelling on its own, but this is not enough.  I will have failed if the viewer simply glances at the visual composition and walks on. I want the viewer to engage in the piece.”

6TrnrEUQ

He describes messages in his work as sometimes explicit, other times hidden to reveal the context behind them and the human experience they contain. He asks viewers not to judge the work merely from a distance, but to get close to it. When one does, Thaller’s work grabs the viewer, and surprisingly won’t let go visually or emotionally, as is surely intended.

EH44YBDQ

He notes “There is always some other dimension to the work that I hope will draw in the viewer. This secondary element could be the process itself, an embedded message, or a visual surprise when up close.  My last series, Rebirth of the Pixel, incorporates all three.”

His process of creation is entirely unique, beginning with the message or information he wants to convey.

q0Xh_FUw

“Once I’ve figured this out, then I plan the execution of the works. In Rebirth of the Pixel, each of the images required a translation into the 4 colors of the palette.  This allowed me to visualize where the individual pixels – Legos in this case – needed to be placed one at time.”

CVQ2IfKg

The monochromatic palette in no way diminishes the deep visceral imact of the work, the detail and precision of which is mind-blowing.

Thaller asserts “For the full series I individually placed hundreds of thousands of Lego pieces.  It took me 2 years.” 

He chose his current palette so that the work would “permeate with a sense of history and time. From far away, I’m aiming for a very detailed image. Up close I want people to see the pixels and appreciate the process.”

lb7plFTA

In his Rebirth of the Pixel series, he relates that the 4 pixels range from black at the weakest intensity of the spectrum to white at the strongest – with just two pixels in between.  He describes the chosen palette as selected in order to “emulate the effects of black and white photography.”  Using Legos as a construct injects a sense of fun and accessability to images that are filled with gravitas.

The overall sensation when viewing is that of entering into a black and white photo, a realm more dimensional than could be conveyed in conventional photographic art. The palette, though limited, vibrates, as if the image could plunge from the work and into real life. The viewer experiences a kind of futuristic noir from this series: there’s a poignant history to each image, and the sense of seeing it from an almost sci-fi perspective.

QWxdvViQ

Thaller says that his work has undergone a lot of changes over the years. “Mostly around the medium though. I’ve experimented with a lot of different techniques.  But I would say my focus around creating experience hasn’t changed at all. And I don’t think it will.” 

Upcoming for the Los Angeles-based Thaller is a series of pieces contemplating the impacts of social media on younger generations, family, and culture in general. 

“I truly believe in technology as a positive force, but also think it is important to be cognizant of the negative externalities that result from overuse and dependence,” he explains. “The irony in these pieces is that I force the viewer to use technology itself to access the explicit message I want to convey. ” 

  • Genie Davis; photos provided by the artist

 

What Rocks and Rolls and Sings the Blues? It’s the Johnny Rich Band

Posted on by Diversions LA

SilverlakeLounge 180928

The Johnny Rich band, pictured above, is ready to burn down the house – or bar, as the case may be – with a heady, professional mix of rock n’ roll, blues, and even a bit of a jazz riff.

Lamar Little, to the left in the photo, is the kamakazi drummer, who blows listeners away with the intensity of his beat.  Bass player Derrick Murdock, far right, was in the house band for the Tonight Show and the Jay Leno show, and is a powerful player. And rounding out the dynamic trio, middle position, is John Richardson, singer, guitarist, songwriter, and leader of the band.  

66859492_10217635516746917_5288228940475793408_n (1)

We took in a stellar performance on the west side at Trip in Santa Monica; the band can often be found at the Silverlake Lounge on the east side and the Old Town Pub in Pasadena, as well as in DTLA at a variety of spots.

We heard a set that included a terrific instrumental, “50 Years,” which Richardson describes as “trying to be pretty.” It doesn’t just try though, it succeeds, and has the distinction of many gigs past being the first piece that he ever played in public. Just definitely not the last.

Playing on the irony and ugliness of our times with a driving beat was “Comrade Bonespur Boogie,” which features a lyric that Richardson quotes as “All that’s left is whiskey and regret” intoned by a viewer “watching DJT and the GOP on TV and being amazed as things keep going lower.”

Richardson’s “Demon Rum” tells the story of “A poor wretch in love with the Sports Illustrated swimsuit model from 2003 pasted on the wall at the bar he goes to every day after work. ‘I love how you come to life after a drink or two …'” The photo image might’ve started dancing had she heard the song written in her honor. 

Also on the play list were non-originals such as Johnny Smith’s “Walk Don’t Run,” popularized by The Ventures originally, and the perfect song to showcase Little’s drumming skills. 

Richardson describes “Sleepwalk/Sleepwalk on the Radio” as a mix of creative efforts. “I’ve never gotten sick of playing Santo & Johnny’s Sleepwalk. It’s the front end to one of mine about Sleepwalk and the good old days which weren’t all that swell after all.”

 And one of our favorites was the evocative original instrumental “Renfield,” described as telling the story of “Dracula meeting Little Red Riding Hood and getting his ass kicked.” He notes that song evokes “ever-increasing levels of evilness, like those Lon Chaney werewolf movies that start with the beautiful moon full of foreboding.” Indeed. 

13892131_516121281917813_8046384091238015138_n

A poignant piece, “Betty’s Waltz” honors a dear friend and mother with fatal breast cancer. “Right near the end she was at home in a coma with the morphine drip running. I sat up all night and played her every song I knew,” Richardson relates.

And corporate ethics – if there is such a thing – got their due in another original, “Karl Marx Boogie,” which includes the biting lyric depicting Wall Street greed,  “Down and down you go and you sink into the mire. Soon you’re just like all the rest, you don’t give a damn.”

14233137_530472613816013_3798544987258435944_n

While most of Richardson’s vast collection of originals focuses on true life stories or the fiction that grabs him, the band’s non-original numbers run the range from Thelonius Monk songs like “In Walked Bud,” selected in part because of what Richardson calls “fun chord changes,” to classics from Keith Richards, Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, Charlie Christian, and Miles Davis.

“I started out playing the drums as a kid, which led to wearing weird-ass wool suits marching around the football field at halftime. Picked up the guitar early in ’69, got hooked when I could recognize myself playing No Expectations by the Stones, and never turned back,” he says. 

IMG_5836

The band got its name thanks to “a hipster 20-year-old I played a gig with in Berkeley,” Richardson laughs.

IMG_5838

But there’s nothing funny about the music – it’s seriously great stuff. Don’t miss the band’s upcoming gigs. For more information, visit www.johnnyrichband.com

  • Genie Davis; photos: Genie Davis, and provided by the artist

Layers of Metaphor and Imagery: The Art of Karin Skiba

Posted on by Diversions LA

KARIN SKIBA Sabine 2018

Artist Karin Siba offers sensual, deeply resonant images – landscapes, the female face – all are vivid with color, and alive within and through layers. This deeply resonating work feels immediate, vital, and elegaic at the same time. It takes a vivid moment and captures that moment’s emotion.

Skiba says her work reflects an ongoing process of art, one that “evolves as I do, involving layering metaphor and imagery much like all of contemporary life.  It changes and flexes and reflects what I am experiencing as an artist in the world. It is my interpretation of the life I am living. “

3-648x835

She says “I love fashion photography and it inspires me to make my own fictional portraits of women.  Sometimes I use a photo as a base to do a drawing that turns into a mixed media work. The result is a surprise to me depending on how the work grows and changes under my brush and scissors.” According to the artist “Using a variety of material – old paintings and drawings, magazine clippings, photos – all make for a rich collage of color and shape.  I think fashion is an art form in itself and a great resource of information.”

11-2-648x864

“My ‘ecofictional’ landscapes and trees come from my experience with nature, and they usually involve my own photos layered in to give different realities to the finished work.  Architecture is fascinating and makes its way into the work as well,” Skiba explains, adding that photographing areas that have meaning for her and including them in her work adds yet another dimension.

FEATHER TREE 1 Karin Skiba watercolor and mixed media on paper

Each of her works truly grabs the viewer with color, motion, and with its range of material, all of which fits together like the cohesive pieces of a glowing puzzle: photography, prints, painting, drawing.

75full-532x800

She frequently depicts female faces in both her mixed-media work and paintings. To the viewer, her images are both beautiful and mysterious; these faces are lovely yet internal; dream-like.

Many of her paintings feature shades of the color blue taking the place of skin tones. This feels very natural even graceful, and adds to an aura both alluring and enigmatic.

64full-655x568

“I have an instinctual way of working with color. For quite a few years now, I reach for blue to begin a work.  It is comforting to me visually and works well with other colors,” she explains. “I love color in general and playing it against itself or a pure white background. I have a strong design background and making beautiful combinations of color is a natural.”

This intrinsic sense of color has shaped her work regardless of format throughout her work as an artist. In fact, the progression in her art over time has been reflected more in medium than in meaning, Skiba asserts.

LADDERS #2 FOREST MOON 2019 Karin Skiba watercolor and photo collage on paper 22x30

“When I had a retrospective four years ago, I had no idea if the work from all those years would be cohesive,” she laughs. “But when we installed all the pieces covering 40 years, it was great. My style and color sense flowed! My work has changed in format, since I began with soft sculpture I dyed and sewed, then went on to cut out painted wood pieces. These went on to include words, then writing into the paint, then a switch to colored pencil then back to painting.” 

66full-850x800

As to her attraction to photographic images, she says “Photography has been present for many years in my art.  I finally realized my father influenced me in a large way. He was a professional photographer and my favorite memories are watching him work in his darkroom.” She remarks that “Photos inspire me, and I am inspired by my own photos as well. So you will see some reference to photography as a medium on the pieces. Now I am obsessed with paper. Painting on it and cutting it, layering it, is what I am working with.”

Texture is certainly a strong part of all her work; her use of different textures and overlapping images shapes the experience of her art.

Skiba

Artist Karin Skiba, above

Having made a move to the high desert also affects her work – its colors, style, and space. She reports that “Living in Joshua Tree has given me the chance to have more time in a great private studio space.  That in itself is giving me freedom to explore more than ever. The art community is lively and I associate with artists more easily since we are all in a reachable area. You can really see here, it is not smoggy, there is a big sky. It seems to open you up to yourself.”

That openness is also visible in her work, which seems ever more expansive, in terms of both subject and approach.

JU JU JUNIPER Karin Skiba mixed media collage on paper

For an upcoming solo show, HABITAT,  her works involve “the concept of habitat or environs, whether residential or emotional. I am planning on using work I have created about Detroit, my home town, that illustrates photos I took there of downtown religious and residential architecture,” Skiba says. “Ohter work reflects the desert and the symboloism it generates.”

The exhibition will include collages that mix with watercolor and drawing.  It opens November 2nd at the historic 29 Palms Art Gallery, originally an adobe home built for Western pulp fiction author Tom Hopkins, located at the Oasis of Mara in Twentynine Palms, next to the Joshua Tree National Park Headquarters. Well worth a drive: enjoy the desert landscape and the internal landscapes of Skiba’s art.

  • Genie Davis; photos provided by Karin Skiba