CAC COMMISSION

A mosaic of autobiography, mythology, and collective inquiries, Boy mother / faceless bloom combines ritual, dance, music, poetry, video, and sculptural installation to explore transformation and transgression, the creativity and conflicts of motherhood, and ancestral lineage in a time of colonialism, imperialism, and planetary crisis.

The piece was co-created by Juni One Set through an intensely collaborative process over the span of three years. Juni One Set is Eddy Kwon, Senga Nengudi, and Degenerate Art Ensemble’s Haruko Crow Nishimura and Joshua Kohl. Intuitive play, loving conversations, and a deep sense of trust allowed for the generative convergence of diverse artistic practices, cultural backgrounds, gender experiences, age, ability, and geographies.

From the group’s statement: “Our work is intensely collaborative, rooted in the deepest respect and love we hold for one another. Through an intentional, transformational process, we build a world within which we can be free. Our bodies live in fear, in the shadows of beginning-less violence, in joy and in care. Through ritual and embodiment, we find openings for healing and growth and invite others to arrive. We are trying to tell a story we never want to end.”

Location: CAC Black Box

Duration: 60 mins

Time: APRIL 6 – 7 / 8:00PM

Co-creator, music, movement: Eddy Kwon

Co-creator, sculptural & costume design, movement: Senga Nengudi

Co-creator, movement, music: Crow Nishimura

Co-creator, music: Joshua Kohl

Video: Leo Mayberry and Ian Lucero

Residency support: Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, BASE Experimental Arts (Seattle)

Boy mother / faceless bloom is a National Performance Network (NPN) Creation & Development Fund Project co-commissioned by Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati in partnership with Colorado College and NPN/VAN. The Creation & Development Fund is supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts (a federal agency). For more information, visit www.npnweb.org.