Last night's Pecha Kucha - the first in Charlotte after a two-year hiatus - brought together a collection of inspiring ideas and experiences, performance art, visual art, dance and music. Held at the Mint Museum Uptown, the format allows each presenter a six minute and 40 second time frame, in which time 20 images are projected on screen.
The event opened with a speech by Charlotte organizer and Point 8 Forum's Manoj Kesavan and was followed by remarks from host Quentin Talley aka "Q" who introduced the 11 presenters. Here's the rundown:
* The Machine: The collective group of artists performed an experimental piece about human nature, the meaning of life, and the mystery of existence. Two ladies dressed as nurses cared for a man, fighting against his confines, and the scene closed with a chilling rendition of "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)."
* Brian Knep and Natalie Andrews: The two artists are currently artists-in residence at McColl Center for Visual Art. Knep is a fascinating media artist whom I had the opportunity to interview a few years back when his Per(Mutations) exhibit showcased at McColl. He highlighted his work, a mix of science and art that's used to create interactive installations designed after the observations of various molecules and organisms and trends of emergent behavior and the permutations of that behavior. (Anyone who remembers turning a knob and shifting a cluster of "shadow creatures" that were projected on the wall, during the past exhibit will know what he's talking about). He also spoke about some of his other works, including a series of photographs taken and manipulated to show a frogs swimming cycles against time, which he uses as a visual metaphor for the overall life cycle.
Andrews, who comes from a background in biology, engineering and cognitive science, is working to arrange an environment of wonder and suited for "fairies." She questions the emphasis on scientific discoveries and asks the audience, "Does being curious and describing something about it, take something away?"
* Buck Rackley: Rackley, a digital artist, talked about the benefits of stepping out of one's comfort zone by trying new things and visiting new places. He showed photographs of his daughter with a drag queen dressed in the same Cinderella costume, a billboard with the words "Jesus Saves" located in west Charlotte, psychedelic long exposure shots, and others of him breaking stuff and having fun with friends.
* Ophelos (Taproot Ensemble & Wake Project with CHD: WCK!) with Alexander Windner Liberman: The group displayed images of a united couple whose connection is divided by heartache and revenge. A male and female dancer interacted with one another, sometimes graciously in sync and other times harshly distant and unbalanced. Their movements spoke of the turbulence often seen in relationships.
* Natalie Abrams: An encaustic artist (who will be an artist in resident at McColl Center for Visual Art in the future), Abrams shared her story about her hand injury and taking up art in different forms, including hot wax works and reef. She explores the relationships between different organic structures and the beauty found outside of urban environments.
* Cassie Parsons: Chef/owner of the Uptown farm-to-table eatery, Harvest Moon Grille, and owner/operator of Grateful Growers Farm, Parsons lectured on the value of eating locally. Screenshots compared some of the following: free vs. confinement, degradation vs. sustainability, conformity vs. integrity, factory vs. seasonal, disorder vs. harmony, synthetic vs. natural, manufactured vs. grown. The conclusion: It's better to know where your food is coming from and the fewer the ingredients, the better. Afterwards she invited folks to try her homemade Turkey stock broth.
* Swar-sangam by Indian Performing Arts Association of Charlotte (IPAAC): Ragamala paintings, based on the "garland of Ragas or musical compositions," from medieval India were projected on the wall while performers sat on the floor singing and playing the tabla (an Indian percussion instrument).
* Rachel Caldwell: Caldwell shared a touching story of her experiences as both a teacher in the U.S. and abroad, when she volunteered with the OFCB Ministries, an organization providing schooling and church in the poverty-stricken Bayonnais. She reflects on the many children at the school who strive to make something of their lives, yet are constrained by constant limitation and lack of funds. "It seems like the world is against them," she said. Caldwell urged the crowd to cherish children and the remarkable education and opportunities that we have in America.
* Dana Martin Davis: Davis, the CCO of Davis Steel & Iron Co., lectured on her passion for innovative abstract sculptures found at Gibbs Farm sculpture park in Kaipara Harbour, New Zealand. Some of these included Andy Goldsworthy's "Arches," Neil Dawson's "Horizons," Marijke de Goey's "The Mermaid," and Anish Kapoor's "Dismemberment, Site 1," which Davis jokingly refers to as "pussy galore."
* Felicia Van Bork as Candi Parker: Collage artist Felicia Van Bork displayed a collection of her artwork with snarky commentary as a pseudo columnist, Candi Parker.
* Troika (with Sharon Dowell, Baran Dance and Dirty Art Club): A cool blend of three different disciplines - art, dance and music. Sharon Dowell's vibrant cityscapes were shown with psychedelic electronics from Dirty Art Club and ambient moves from Baran Dance. Guess it's too late to stomp our feet for an encore, huh?