Performing Dean Moss' Nameless Forest @ YBCA

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Performers in Dean Moss' piece, Nameless Forest, describe their roles and experiences in directly engaging audiences onstage during the performance.

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West Coast Premiere
Dean Moss
Nameless forest
Thu--Sat, Jan 19--21, 2012 • 8pm • YBCA Forum

As part of YBCA's ongoing exploration of the changing relationship between audiences and artists, passive observation and active engagement, we are pleased to present Nameless forest, a multidisciplinary performance by choreographer Dean Moss in collaboration with South Korean sculptor and poet Sungmyung Chun. Nameless forest is Moss's most ambitious work to date in which he explores subjectivity and the nature of perception by both translating Chun's figurative installations into live action and questioning the act of translation itself. With its integration of the "other" -- through disciplinary and cultural translation, aesthetic references, and shared authorship -- Nameless forest reflects a significant trend, not only in the changing world of contemporary dance, but in the evolution of American identity.

In addition to the performances of the six dancers, the work features diary fragments and war imagery by photojournalist Mike Kamber, neon sculpture by visual artist Gandalf Gaván and an original score by experimental musician and sound composer Stephen Vitiello. Up to 12 audience members will join the cast onstage for each performance, reflecting, through their undirected response, the community's role (and risk) in the perceptually individual and existential nature of art making. Nameless forest is co-produced by Gametophyte Inc. and MAPP International Productions.

About the piece
The artistic partnership at the heart of Nameless forest is rooted in two years of exploratory communication between Moss and Chun. Viewing Chun's 2007 and 2008 solo exhibitions Swallowing the Shadow, Moss felt that they resonated with strategies he recognized from his own work. He sensed a strong commonality with Chun, and became intrigued with the idea of sharing perspectives and backgrounds, and developing out of that confidence a multidisciplinary work that would challenge and reflect a quintessential blending of multiple individual practices.

Structured in three parts, Nameless forest features diary fragments and war zone imagery by photojournalist Mike Kamber, neon sculpture by visual artist Gandalf Gaván, an original score by experimental musician and sound composer Stephen Vitiello, lighting and technical design by Vincent Vigilante, and costumes by Roxana Ramseur. The work is embodied by a deeply committed cast of six individual performers, each representing a unique combination of cultural traditions and contemporary, dance, music, and theater practices. Member of the audience will be invited to join them onstage.