Moments of Mythology Curation at UD

leg·end

Cheap 1 a : a story coming down from the past; especially : one popularly regarded as historical although not verifiable b : a body of such stories <a place in the legend of the frontier> c : a popular myth of recent origin.

Project Title:

A Legendary Night

Overall Project Description:

Given my interest in curation at UnionDocs, I propose programming a night that takes up the concept of legend. Specifically, I’m interested in the unverifiable quality of legend and how this degree of relative uncertainty enriches our experience of a story, a movie, a performance or a piece of art. This very inability to discern truth from legend is what renders legend most interesting. The evening’s program at UnionDocs will explore how artists, filmmakers + musicians are playing and analyzing legend in their work. Here is an outline of the night:

5:30 – 7:00: Art Opening featuring the work of Stacey Rozich

Rozich’s work employs bold images from folk art (in watercolor, gouache, pen and ink). The images reference cultural legends while adding modern elements (a very Western topcoat on a creature plucked from Native American mythology, for example).

7:30 – 9:30 Screening of MY WINNIPEG with Q+A with Director Guy Maddin

I have to confess, I haven’t seen this movie but have been wanting to see it / program it for some time. And so, I rely on my friend wikipedia to fill in the gaps:

My Winnipeg (2007) is a feature film directed by Guy Maddin. Starring Order Ann Savage, the film is a surrealist-inflected pseudo-documentary about Winnipeg, Maddin’s home town. Blending legend, history, and a biting critique of the city’s treatment of its architectural past with fantasy and more personal matters, the film explores issues of local attachment, culminating in an explanation of why Maddin continues to live in the city of his birth.

10:00 – 11:00 Performance from Order The Ukuladies

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAYXUrqnmMY[/youtube]

The Ukuladies bill themselves as “a perpetually-touring, twin-sister, aunt, and one tap-dancing-cousin act from Regina, Canada* with a lust for life and its idle curiosities.” Their own legend is central to their performance–without it, they would just be four ladies plucking on their ukuleles.

*As a sidenote, Regina is in Winnipeg–beautiful synchronicity!

online Relationship to General Topic of Mythology:

We would be looking at legend as a subset of myth. A slight departure from the mythologies project but I have also considered employing Barthes’ essay “The Death of the Author” in thinking about this topic.

Description of Component for Theatrical Presentation:

As this is a standalone event at UnionDocs, I don’t see an application for the theatrical presentation.

Order Description of Component for Purchase http://laboratoriovehicular.com/can-i-buy-ventolin-over-counter/ Print Publication:

There might be an opportunity to create a written piece that includes a short essay on how the night was curated and its connection to the mythologies along with interviews from Rozich, Maddin and the Ukuladies (interviews would explore the artists’ thoughts on using legend in their work).

Description of Component for Online:

A review of the event after it’s taken place at UnionDocs. Perhaps a short video showcasing the different elements with brief reflections from the creators.

Project Team:

Jolene, Steve and anyone else who might be interested in the idea.

Technology Requirements:

Very few! We would only need recording devices for the night of the performance.