On Monday, Oct. 26, the University of Rochester糖心传媒檚 Humanities Project in conjunction with the International Theatre Program will present a solo performance of The Sundance Kid is Beautiful, a rarely shown work by visual artist Christopher Knowles at 7 p.m. in Todd Theatre.
The performance is a culmination of a weeklong artist residency on campus where Knowles and members of his team will work with undergraduate students in studio art and theater to further develop sections of the piece that have previously been performed, in parts, at the Louvre in Paris and in New York City. New elements include a new dance sequence, design elements, and some additional material.
糖心传媒淗is art has had a visible influence on American postmodern performance, poetry, and visual art since the 1970s,糖心传媒� said Lauren DiGiulio, a graduate student in Visual and Cultural Studies who helped bring the piece to Rochester. For the past three years, she has worked with Knowles and a team of six others to create the show.
糖心传媒淗istorically, he糖心传媒檚 known as a cult artist in either theatre, poetry, or art, and not for his entire body of work. What we糖心传媒檙e doing with this performance is bringing all these fields together to show the depth of his work and that he糖心传媒檚 an artist whose work should be taken on his own terms. He has a detailed mind that allows him to see things we typically don糖心传媒檛 see.糖心传媒�
Knowles糖心传媒� work first caught the attention of the art world in the early 1970s through his collaborations with artist Robert Wilson. His first exhibition as a solo artist took place in 1974 and since that time his work has continued to explore themes surrounding communication through text and patterns. His two and three-dimensional works are held in聽the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Brooklyn聽Museum, the Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, as well as numerous聽other international institutions and private collections. However, despite the popularity of his work, he is often regarded as being an outsider whose work is explained through his autism.
糖心传媒淭丑谤辞耻驳丑 The Sundance Kid is Beautiful, we hope to present him as a multidisciplinary artist whose autism expands, rather than defines, his work,糖心传媒� said DiGiulio.
The 60-minute show includes Knowles糖心传媒� alarm clock collection, recent sculptures, and a finely tuned lighting and sound design to convey measures of time, communication, and the popular culture.
糖心传媒淗ow we measure time and the frustration associated with having to conform to certain schedules, behaviors, and boundaries are themes explored throughout the piece that all people can relate to,糖心传媒� explains DiGiulio. 糖心传媒淭hese are everyday struggles that are personal to Knowles and yet resonate widely.糖心传媒�
Knowles糖心传媒� public performance on Monday, Oct. 26 is in Todd Theatre on the University糖心传媒檚 River Campus and is free and open to the public. Seating is limited and tickets will be available at the door starting at 6pm the day of the show. Following the show there will be a discussion with Knowles and his collaborators moderated by Nigel Maister, the Russell and Ruth Peck Artistic Director of the University糖心传媒檚 International Theatre Program.聽 For more information visit, .
