2 show times, Thursday June 4, 2015; 2pm & 8pm
Tour de Lévis, Jean Drapeau
FREE ADMISSION
Venue has a maximum capacity of 50 per showing. TICKETS MUST BE RESERVED IN ADVANCE
To reserve, email:
princessagnusdei@gmail.com
Directions will be sent to you via email when you reserve.
Princess Agnus Dei
An independent production created and directed by: Astrid Lloyd. Original score by Ralph Denzer
Thursday, June 4th, 2015. 2pm and 8pm. Tour de Lévis, Ile Ste Helene, Parc Jean Drapeau, Montreal
Princess Agnus Dei is a multimedia performance set against an elaborate architectural installation, Hammock. The focus of the work is the character Princess, performed by dancer Eva Kolarova, elaborated with an original score, featuring piano, violin, clarinet, and voice; all punctuated with a heartbeat of Métis jig. The costume and installation are constructed of industrial materials: white electrical cable, red marrettes, black rubber tie-downs, and white zip ties. The architectural element, a giant hammock and tube ladder made of cable lace, functions as the bed of Princess. Both materially and conceptually, the structure is an extension of the costume, body and persona of Princess. Using traditional bobbin lacemaking techniques, 40 custom made steel bobbins, Hammock has been under construction since 2008.
Princess Agnus Dei and Hammock belong to a much larger art/life experiment called The Superwoman Project; A Novel in Four Costumes (2000- ongoing). The Superwoman Project can be described as a freedom quest, a study of archetypes, and an experiment in performativity–– how individuals perform themselves into being. Each of the four costumes represents a distinct persona, who is also responsible for her own body of work. The project addresses a wide range of interconnected themes including sexuality and violence, freedom and bondage, liminality (interiority vs. exteriority), and the metaphysical relationship between bodies and architecture.
The character of Princess was developed in response to horrific images of slaughtered women which surfaced during the 2006 trial of mass murderer Robert Pickton. First exhibited as solo performance, the current iteration of Princess is an ensemble production comprised of several performing artists. The ritual performance of Princess casts out the Sad Victim archetype.
As a Master of Fine Arts candidate at Concordia University, Lloyd has been studying the intersections of performance art, theatre and ritual. Following the performance of Princess Agnus Dei in Montreal, the massive cable lace structure will be installed in a grove of Trembling Aspens on the shores of Lac Matagami in Northern Quebec where it will remain indefinitely. The June 4 performance draws together a rich group of artists all interested in experimental performance work.
CAST/PERFORMERS
Ralph Denzer - composer
Eva Kolarova - Princess - Lead Dancer
Yvonne Chartrand - Heart of Princess - Second Dancer (Métis jigger)
Emilie Monnet - Voice of Princess - Vocalist
Marie-Lys Trudel - Sadness - Violin
Milan Sumas - Liberty - Clarinet
Julie Migner-Laurin - Beauty - Piano
Solo Fugere - Comfort - Mime