Act 1, 2007
Duration: 00:00
performance/installation
About the performance “Graupel”
“Graupel”, a visual opera on ice that premiered on frozen Somes Pond in the winter of 2007, was is the first in a series of pieces that are focused on the landscape, history and folklore of Mt. Desert Island and sited specifically in various locations on the island at different times of the year. My interest in these works is to create situations that respond to the ephemeral passing of seasons, call attention to the uncanny, and invoke a sense of mystery.
Sub-themes of these seasonal works involve the relationship of community, and in a broader sense, humans, to the landscape. Of particular interest for me in creating works that are situated on the island is the symbolism of land as represented by designated areas of National Park juxtaposed with ideas related to a landscape linked with those dependant on the natural world for their livelihoods, and everyday existence in the real context of climate, layers of history, construction, and phenomenal events. The general public was invited to experience the work by moving through the space of the performance. For the original performance of “Graupel”, I sought to explore aesthetic compositional strategies in the fourth dimension – involving movement, sculptural elements, and space. I approached the work in much the same way as a landscape painter might consider the selection of site, composition and construction of a two dimensional representation – with the added elements of narrative, kinetics and dimension.
