Sympoiesis (photo courtesy Alex Wand)
The word sympoiesis, derived from Ancient Greek, means “collective creation” and stands in opposition to competition-based models of development like Darwinist natural selection. Feminist theorist Donna Haraway has used the term when considering synergistic relationships between humans, non-humans, and non-living things in the face of social upheaval and drastic change.
The concept also lends its name to a new performance by Dahn Gim and Alex Wand, which blurs the boundaries between music, dance, performance, and nature. Presented as the final event of the artists’ residencies at the Camera Obscura in Santa Monica, the performance will begin at the viewing platform tower, where visitors will look out onto dancers on the beach. Utilizing mirrors made from found plastic and designed by Gim, the participants will focus sunlight back at the tower. Movement and light will trigger sounds processed by Luke Williams and Alex Wand, who will also be conducting live music. Spectators will be invited onto the sand to accompany the participants on a march to the shore.
Preceding the performance, the evening will begin with refreshments and open studios at 5pm, followed at 6pm by a screening of Camino de las Monarcas, a chronicle of Wand’s 2,000 mile bicycle trip from Los Angeles to Michoacán along the monarch butterfly’s migratory path.
When: Sunday, July 28, 5–8pm
Where: Camera Obscura Art Lab (1450 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, California)
More info at eventbrite.
