French and Thai Movements

I went to see Jerome Bel's Pichet Kluchun and Myself tonight. It was Cecine's ticket but she wasn't feeling up to it so I went in her place. Matthew S was there as well and we sat and chatted together. We ended up with great seats: third row center. Despite having a great sound system, it was a very intimate performance.

The show was set up as an interview between the famous choreographer, Jerome Bel, and a Thai Khon dancer Pichet Kluchun. As the interview went on it became more and more intimate and exploratory of what performance lends to society. At the start it was a simple instruction of what Khon was and then it brought up all the little meanings and how over time it is lost because so much of Thai culture has been altered for the tourists. The dancing is slow and boring to those who do no understand what all the symbolic movement are. Performances that went for days now go for under an hour or however long the foreigners patience lasts. Pichet stated that he does not perform for tourists because of this change and instead teaches. Bel's choreography was more intended to bring in the audience. Pichet asked Jerome to perform for him. For one part he stood and considered everything, including us. Another time he just danced along with the music like any ordinary person would and lastly he lip synced to "Killing Me Softly" and for one third of the song he lay dead on the stage. He explained that the still time allows the audience to consider their own relation to death and his ordinary dancing keep the equality among the performers and audiences. I loved that, the part about equality. I like how he said out right that art is not meant as a form of elitism.

Bel mentioned that he never gives people their money back because they didn't like a performance. Mostly because their disappointment would have come out of expectations being let down and you can't have any preconceived notions concerning contemporary art. I wish I had taken more notes of what they were saying. It moved me and I was in such a state of joy when the performance ended. I'm so happy I got a chance to see it.

The rest of the day was spent on homework (and non-homework). I'm 2/3's done with my figure drawing homework and have half of my history of design assignments read. Part of the homework is also to say what TBA events we are attending. I have already seen four and a half (Neal Medley, Ice Rod, Ten Tiny Dances, Jerome Bel and a part of Yes Men), and have at least three more to go (Mike Daisy's If You See Something Say Something, Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno's Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait, Third Angle New Music Ensemble, and whatever show(s) I use my remaining voucher(s) for). I'm seeing so much more than I did last year and I am loving it!