All performances now SOLD OUT. ISSUE Project Room is pleased to present the premiere performance of “This room this braid”, a new work by choreographer devynn emory. Commissioned as part of ISSUE’s Artist-In-Residence program, the piece features emory joined by dancer Aretha Aoki, with sound by Ryan MacDonald, and sets by painter RJ Messineo. Influenced by the history of set design for dance, the grid, queer mapping via organization of space and container, the contemporary wall and floor drawings of Sol Lewitt and John Diviola, devynn emory's duet work revisits essences of their formal training.
devynn emory is a dancer/choreographer, healer and teacher currently living in NY. In addition to running their company devynnemory/beastproductions that umbrella’s choreography, sound and text, materials, and curated themed shows, emory also dances for Headlong Dance Theater, and currently Tere O’connor Dance on a 3 year project called BLEED. emory's last work was born out of a studio-residency at NYLA for the development of the full version of “This Horse is not a Home”. They created a 3-part work where there are an Artist in Residence at Issue Project room focusing on vocal, sound and text work. This newest work "This room this braid" returns to the grid and formal choreographic structures. emory was formerly a 2009 Fresh Tracks resident at DTW, a studio series resident at NYLA, and a BAX studio series resident. emory’s work has been commissioned and shown at Abrons Art Center with Third Bird, The Poetry Project, Movement Research Spring and Fall Festival, APAP, Draftworks, DNA, Aunts, Rooftop Series, Roulette and Dixon Place in NY. Their work has also shown at Phildelphia’s Live Arts Festival, Philadelphia Dance Boom's Motion Pictures, Arts and Ideas Festival in New Haven, and The London International Film Festival at the Place. As a dancer they have worked with Faye Driscoll, Daria Fain, Jen Rosenblit, Vanessa Anspaugh, Jules Skloot and Yve Laris Cohen and Carolee Schneeman in NY and previously with Jerome Bel, White Oak Dance Project, Rennie Harris Pure Movement, anonymous bodies, and Paule Turner in Philadelphia.
Aretha Aoki is from the Pacific Northwest, living in Northampton, MA. She has most recently shown her work at the Academy of Music (MA), Firehall Arts Centre (Vancouver, BC), Danspace Project, Movement Research, CPR, Catch and New York Live Arts (2011/12 Fresh Tracks artist). Aoki is currently rehearsing Shore by Emily Johnson and has had the privilege of dancing and collaborating with many incredible artists throughout her career, most recently Vanessa Anspaugh, robbinschilds, Rebecca Serrell Cyr, Heather Kravas, Juliette Mapp and Maura Donohue.
RJ Messineo is an artist currently living and working in western MA. Her painting practice borrows from sculpture and performance and works through issues of identity, intimacy and power through abstraction and through formal and material moves. She received her MFA from UCLA in 2009 and her work has shown at REDCAT, Imprenta, Steve Turner Contemporary, Redling Fine Art and with Artist Curated Projects in Los Angeles; in collaboration with Wu Tsang at Clifton Benevento in NY; and at The exhibition Agency in Chicago. She recently showed work in "Stand Close, It's Shorter Than You Think", a show about feminist rage at the ONE Gallery in LA where she also was the co-curator.
