The Art of Luv (Part 1): Elliot
On May 23, 2014, Elliot Rodger killed 6 people and injured 13 in a rampage motivated by his lack of success with women. Elliot is a ritual-performance based on a cycle of found love stories, a meditation on masculinity, love and longing. The meditation is accompanied by original music on handmade instruments tuned to a solfeggio scale, which is said to promote healing on a cellular level.
Two officiants alternate between two stations. At one station, the officiant creates a live musical score using a loop station, handmade zithers, a handmade harp, and a vase-microphone. At the other station, the officiant looks into the lens of a VHS camera and channels the content of YouTube confessional and dating advice videos. The original videos are projected overhead next to the live feed of the re-performance. The Art of Luv is a project of Creative Capital. (Part 1): Elliot was commissioned by Under the Radar Festival (The Public Theater, New York, NY). Premiere: January 2016. It was also performed at the 2016 TBA Festival in Portland OR.