![]() But it is something - the joy of the moment to moment, while a marble is rolling down a slide, knowing that it and it worked.”Īfter that initial performance, Oberfelder wanted to explore more but, of course, the pandemic soon swept away any performance plans. “We were running through the audience,” she told me, remembering that first dive into the world of order and chaos that is Goldberg’s philosophy. The resulting piece for the NYPL event was, according to Oberfelder, “a four-minute blast” that explores this idea. According to the Rube Goldberg Institute for Innovation and Creativity, these machines “solve simple problems in the most ridiculously inefficient way possible.” A classic example is the “Self Operating Napkin,” which wipes an eater’s face by using a combination of strings, counterweights and even a scythe.Īn iconic Rube Goldberg cartoon, the “Self Operating Napkin,” was featured on a U.S. Oberfelder, a director, choreographer and filmmaker dedicated to site-specific works that “expand how one experiences dance,” was invited to create a piece inspired by the work of Rube Goldberg (1883-1970), the Jewish cartoonist who drew his eponymous machines starting with Collier’s Weekly magazine in 1929. The genesis of this 50-minute piece began four years ago, when musician Frank London of The Klezmatics was organizing an event celebrating 15 Jewish thinkers and creators - from philosopher Hannah Arendt to composer Morton Feldman - at the New York Public Library. It will be performed for three consecutive weekends, culminating in a gala event on March 19. Over four years in the making, the piece will make its debut March 4 at the Agnes Varis Performing Arts Center in Lower Manhattan. The piece - at once whimsical and thoughtful - explores the mechanical motions inherent in a classic “Rube Goldberg machine” (a chain-reaction contraption that typically involves levers swinging, cogs twirling, bits and bobs knocking each other on predetermined courses) as expressed through the human form. ![]() ![]() the Consequence of Action,” a new work by acclaimed New York-based choreographer and dancer Jody Oberfelder. These are just some of the questions that surfaced as I watched footage of “Rube G. ( New York Jewish Week) - Are we humans all parts of a meticulously crafted machine? Or are we independent beings, chaotically disrupting one another’s trajectories through time and space? Is there a difference between intentional and unintentional impact? Does it matter whether our movements are prompted by internal or external forces? ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |