reACT | Jack Ferver’s Chambre

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Date:
October 29, 2016
Time:
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Venue:
The Watermill Center

In its inaugural year, reACT will feature special performances by past Watermill artist residents, providing them with a unique opportunity to return to Watermill and present original works that are intimately linked to The Center. First in residence at The Watermill Center in 2014, Jack Ferver will return in October as a part of the 2016 reACT season.

BUY TICKETS
Saturday, October 29, 2016 @ 5:00pm
*Complimentary cocktails at 5:00pm, performance begins at 6:00pm

*Discounted tickets are only eligible for Byrds and for Collaborators at the Costume Designer membership level and above, with a limit of two discounted tickets per member. To upgrade or purchase a membership, please email membership@watermillcenter.org. All sales are final. There are no refunds or exchanges. If an event is postponed or rescheduled due to inclement weather, the ticket will be honored for the rescheduled event date. Patrons must have hard copy tickets or mobile tickets to gain admittance.

Jack Ferver | Chambre
Chambre is a hybrid interdisciplinary performance and art installation that draws from Jean Genet’s iconic play Les Bonnes(The Maids) and the real-life murder case that inspired the play, in which sisters Christine and Léa Papin murdered the mother and daughter who were their employers. Chambre tackles the timeless tension and widening gap between the “haves” and “have nots,” and examines notions of otherness, gender politics, celebrity culture, class divisions, and the violence that exerts itself both internally and externally from these issues. In a review of Chambre, Siobhan Burke of The New York Times wrote, “Mr. Ferver elucidates issues of class disparity and the cyclical nature of exploitation. And he doesn’t shield himself from his own critiques.” Jack Ferver is aware of, and plays with, the contexts for his performances, including Long Island’s East End as a relevant and provocative setting for a work examining class divisions.

Written and Choreographed by Jack Ferver
Installation by Marc Swanson
Performed by Jack Ferver, Michelle Mola, Jacob Slominski
Costumes by Reid Bartelme
Music by Roarke Menzies
Source Text: Excerpt of Stefani Germanotta’s (Lady Gaga’s) deposition from Jennifer O’Neil v Mermaid Touring Inc/Lady Gaga (2014), Christine Papin’s testimony from the Papin Murder Trial of Mme and Mlle Lancelin (1933).

This production includes mature and graphic content that the artist feels is inappropriate for children.

Jack Ferver is a New York–based choreographer, writer, performer, and teacher. His work has been presented in New York City at The Kitchen; The French Institute Alliance Française, as part of Crossing the Line; PS122; the New Museum; the Museum of Arts and Design, as part of Performa 11; Danspace Project; Abrons Arts Center; and Dixon Place; in Boston at the Institute of Contemporary Art; in Houston at Diverse Works; and in France at Théâtre de Vanves. Shorter and solo works have been presented at PS1 MoMA, Andrew Edlin Gallery, Dance New Amsterdam, La MaMa E.T.C., the Culture Project, and NP Gallery (all New York City). His work has been written about in the New York Times, Financial Times, New Yorker, ArtForum, Modern Painters, Time Out New York, New York Post, Boston Globe, and Dance magazine. As an actor he has appeared in numerous film, television, and theater projects. He teaches at Bard College and New York University, and has set choreography at The Juilliard School. www.jackferver.org

Marc Swanson’s work has been widely shown nationally and internationally at institutions such as The Whitney Museum of American Art (NYC), PS 1/MoMA (NYC), The Museum of Art and Design (NYC), Richard Gray Gallery (NYC). Walker Art Center (Minneapolis), The Contemporary Arts Museum of Houston, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art (Kansas City) St. Louis Museum of Art (St. Louis), Saatchi Gallery (London), Tensta Konstall (Stockholm). His work has been written about in The New York Times, ArtForum, The New Yorker, Art in America, TimeOut New York, TimeOut Chicago, V Magazine, and Vice Magazine. www.marcswansonstudio.com

Michelle Mola has worked with Ferver in their duet Me, Michelle as part of Performa 11 at the Museum of the Arts and Design and in Ferver’s Rumble Ghost at PS122. She is a recipient of an Annenberg Arts Fellowship for Choreography and Performance and a graduate of The Juilliard School.

Jacob Slominski is a performer and choreographer living in Brooklyn. While in New York, he has worked with Faye Driscoll, Ishmael Houston-Jones, and Jack Ferver, and his own work has been shown at Gibney Dance: Agnes Varis Performing Arts Center, Judson Church, CPR, Catch, Gibney Dance, Dixon Place and BAX. He has studied acting at HB Studios and dance at Cornell University, the American Dance Festival, Movement Research, and DNA. He graduated from Cornell University in 2007 with a degree in Biology.

Reid Bartelme began his professional life as a dancer. He worked for Ballet companies throughout North America and Canada, and later in his career worked for modern dance companies in New York including Shen Wei Dance Arts and the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company. He has also performed in works by Jack Ferver, Liz Santoro, Burr Johnson, Douglas Dunn, Christopher Williams, and Kyle Abraham. He went on to graduate from the fashion design program at the Fashion Institute of Technology and began working as a freelance costume designer. He has designed costumes most notably for Christopher Wheeldon, Lar Lubovitch, Pam Tanowitz, Jillian Peña and Liz Santoro. This is Bartelme’s fifth work with Ferver. In collaboration with designer Harriet Jung, Bartelme has designed costumes for the New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theater, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Justin Peck, Marcelo Gomes, Jodi Melnick, and Kyle Abraham.

Roarke Menzies is a New York City-based artist and composer who uses his voice, mouth and body as sound sources, along with audio hardware, software and field recordings, to create electronic and electro-acoustic works. He has created scores for contemporary dance, performance and installation, as well as content for games, television and film. Menzies’ debut solo album, Shapes, will be released October 2015. More info at www.roarkemenzies.com

This performance is made possible by The Brown Foundation.

Image Credits: Jack Ferver (headshot), Chambre at The New Museum, photo: Jason Akira Somma

The Watermill Center is committed to providing accessible programs and services for all patrons and artists with disabilities. For further information about any accessibility issues or needs, please contact us at +1 212 253 7484 or email us at info@watermillcenter.org

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