Breaking out of the mold at the ICA
True to its mandate of stretching the conventional notion of art, the eight-month-old Institute of Contemporary Art has announced a fall lineup of genre-bending performance events.
Among the highlights: An avant-garde Canadian puppet troupe, a pair of New Yorker illustrators, an evolutionary psychologist, a post-punk band, a DJ and "laptopist," and a one-day exhibit of photos about the genocide in Darfur.
"We're trying to bring to Boston things that people here haven't been able to see before and create experiences they haven't been able to have, " says David Henry, the ICA's director of programs.
The schedule includes music, film, dance, and theater events as well as talks and family activities. Also, events that defy neat categories, such as The Old Trout Puppet Workshop from Calgary, Alberta, an artistic collective experimenting with the definition of puppet. From Oct. 18-20, they'll present "Famous Puppet Death Scenes" which were culled "from the vessels of our imagination," says Old Trout member Pete Balkwill. (Parental advisory warning: This show is not meant for young children due to "puppet nudity," says Balkwill, adding: "Parents bringing their youngest child would have a lot of debriefing to do.")
Henry says the programming reflects the ICA's interest in showcasing artists who are pushing the edges of their art form, such as violinist/composer Daniel Bernard Roumain and DJ Scientific, who will blur classical and popular genres with their "Sonata for Violin and Turntables" on Sept. 22. But it also reflects the desire to explore issues relevant to contemporary life. These include "Faker," a dance performance Nov. 29-30 choreographed by Morgan Thorson, commissioned by the Walker Art Center and Southern Theater in Minneapolis; the performance explores contemporary culture's obsession with celebrity. And on Sept. 7, the ICA hosts a one-day photo exhibit, Darfur/Darfur. The exhibit, part of a 24-city tour, presents images by photojournalists and a former US Marine of the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region. That evening there will be a program that includes an address by Samantha Power, director of Harvard's Carr Center for Human Rights, and a performance by cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
A speaker series at the ICA includes an evening with illustrators Roz Chast, a regular contributor to the New Yorker, and Maira Kalman who collaborated on the magazine's "New Yorkistan" cover in 2001 (Nov. 14); and a talk called "Connections Between Biology and Culture, Sex and Beauty, Genes and Creativity" (Oct. 10) with Grammy-winning musician David Byrne and evolutionary psychologist Geoffrey Miller. The world of design will be highlighted in several talks, offered in conjunction with the National Design Triennial exhibit that opens Sept. 28 at the ICA. The exhibit, organized by the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, presents innovative recent American designs. The talks include a discussion about new voices in design on Dec. 13 with graphic designer and curator Ellen Lupton, Harvard architect Toshiko Mori, and others.
Henry says programming is designed to attract both "prechildren" (adults who have no kids and can stay up late) with artists like the Boston-formed post-punk band Mission of Burma (Sept. 23); and "post-children" with family events. There will be a series called "Play Dates" on the last Saturday of the month with free family-friendly films, performances, and activities.
A film series includes the Boston premiere of "Missing Victor Pellerin" (2006), by Quebec filmmaker Sophie Deraspe on Sept. 16; the US premiere of new Japanese animation (Oct. 5-7); and a New England animation program (Oct. 28) featuring the work of 14 filmmakers including Julie Zammarchi and Karen Aqua.
Henry says when he first came to Boston from the Walker three years ago, he found a lack of contemporary arts programming. "I'd worked in Minnesota and the kinds of things that came through there was astounding to me," he says.
Eventually, he came to see that innovative work was being done, but "a lot of it was being done through universities, and they are doing it for their students. The ICA, being a public institution, can make it more visible to the public."
Tickets for all programs that require them will be available to ICA members today. Remaining tickets will be available Sept. 1. Tickets can be purchased at ica boston.org or by calling 617-478-3102. 