CalArts’ 30 Year Retrospective The Kitchen – 2005
January 26 to January 29, 2005
New York, NY
From gamelan and Mozart to human sculpture and digital dance, West Goes East – CalArts at the Kitchen presented the astonishing diversity of California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts) alumni based in the New York metro area. Valencia, California based CalArts is considered one of the nations’ foremost laboratories for innovative artistic practice and the artists and performers in West Goes East exemplify the Institute’s tradition of experimentation.
WEST GOES EAST was presented in January 2005, at The Kitchen in New York City. This four evening event featured 23 Artists, over 100 performers, and included 10 world premiers, special guests Mort Subotnick, electronic music pioneer and co-director of CalArts’ Composition program and the Center for Experiments in Art, Information and Technology (CEAIT) and legendary film composer David Shire. It was curated by Shem Guibbory in consultation with Dan Joseph and former Kitchen Music Curator John King.
Highlights of the series [view & download complete programs here] :
The first evening, January 26, offered the multimedia exotica of video performance artist Kathy Rose. It also featured a world premier by composer/ turntablist, Marina Rosenfeld and works by composer/performers Earl Howard and Denman Maroney.
On January 27, Shem Guibbory performed “The Evolution of a 21st Century Violinist” with works by J. S. Bach, Grazyna Bacewicz and Julie Arlene Spencer, accompanied by world-renowned frame drummer Glen Velez and percussionist Lynn Vartan. Also that evening, the National Theater of Elsewhere presented Deviates from the Master Plan written by its artistic director Brian Howrey.
On January 28, acclaimed digital dance company, Troika Ranch, gave a world premiere performance of “16 (R)evolutions.” Troika Ranch’s work unites dance, theater and interactive digital media. For “16 (R)evolutions” interactive projections created a gritty disturbing atmosphere to evoke a parable of innocence lost. Troika Ranch is the collaboration between composer/media artist Mark Coniglio and choreographer Dawn Stoppiello. Meredith Alex’s “Metamorphosis in Vogue: A Gallery of Human Sculpture” rounded out the evening.
Randall Packer, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Art and Technology co-hosted the final program on Saturday the 29th. This special night featured The Code Ensemble, led by composer/bassist Steve Horowitz, who wrote the score to the independent film sensation “Super Size Me.” Horowitz and filmmaker Jane Brill presented the world premiere of “The Re-taking of Pelham One Two Three.” This electric concerto for 14 instrumentalists, sampler and film/video projection is loosely based on director Dick Sargent’s classic 1970′s action film “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three” and its score composed by David Shire. The current incarnation creates parallels between down and dirty ’70s New York and post-911 Manhattan. Shire participated in a pre-concert discussion.