Video Corpo Explores Movement And Film In New Work

Zephyr's SITE/less, Defibrillator Gallery, Pivot Arts Collaborate on Nov-Dec Festival Three presenters of experimental performance art are collaborating in three Chicago neighborhoods to present Video Corpo, a festival of video work celebrating movement-based artists who have used video as an extension of their practice and/or as an alternative corporeal perspective. Video Corpo takes place Nov. 16-Dec. 7 at Defibrillator Gallery, 1029 W. 35th Street; Nov. 17-Dec. 7 at Zephyr's space SITE/less, 1250 W. Augusta Boulevard; and Nov. 30 at Chicago Filmmakers, 5720 N. Ridge Avenue, in a program presented by Pivot Arts.

Curated by the directors of the three presenters-Michelle Kranicke (Zephyr and SITE/less in Noble Square), Joseph Ravens (Defibrillator Gallery in Bridgeport), and Julieanne Ehre (Pivot Arts in Edgewater)-Video Corpo focuses on broadening the audience for experimental time-based artists by creating a platform for viewing their work beyond traditional live performance. "We are inviting audiences to leave their comfort zones-geographically and aesthetically-to discover new neighborhoods, new art venues, and ways that artists are showcasing the body in a two-dimensional format," said Kranicke.

Defibrillator opens Video Corpo November 16 at 7 p.m. with video installations by Marianne M. Kim, a Korean-American interdisciplinary artist working in screendance, multimedia installation, choreography, and performance art, and Daniele Wilmouth, who creates hybrid forms of film, video, installation, and live art. Video Corpo's second opening event takes place November 17 at 7 p.m. at SITE/less with the premiere of Zephyr's The Wall Dance-Film Version (Working Title), an excerpt of Kranicke's 2012 durational work Allowances and Occurrences re-envisioned for the camera. Though Kranicke originally designed the work as an installation piece for performance at a gallery, allowing the audience to move about the space and choose their viewpoint, Zephyr re-lit the work and filmed it at SITE/less from multiple perspectives and proximities to more fully emphasize the deep, dramatic spatial qualities of tableaux reminiscent of Renaissance or Baroque master painting. SITE/less also presents Short Silent Films (1966-94) by iconic composer, singer, director/choreographer, and filmmaker Meredith Monk.

Monk originally incorporated these six unique and influential films into her live performance works and installations, including 16 Millimeter Earrings (1966) and Quarry (1976). They provide an example, and touchstone, for the films of the other contemporary artists' work on view and an historic framework for movement artists' depiction of the body in film. Also on view at SITE/less is Nadia Oussenko's On Falling, an exploration of falling and surrender. Oussenko and filmmaker Daniel Kullman experimented in a variety of public and private spaces, as well as an array of different surfaces and structures, discovering how to use movement, cinematography, outside stimulus, and costuming to examine feelings of abandonment, anxiety, and surrender. This dance for the camera also seeks to heighten the viewer's visceral sensation through exploring the dynamic between voyeurism and the mover's point-of-view.

Installations at Defibrillator and SITE/less continue through December 7. Pivot Arts is presenting a one-night-only screening and panel discussion on Friday, November 30 at 7:30 p.m. at Chicago Filmmakers. Films to be screened include All by Sarah C. Prinz, Danny Rosenberg, and Amy Wilkinson; Separate Sentences by Austin Forbord and Amy Dowling; Insan by Tommy Pascal; and Formidable Dreams by Sara Zalek. The post-screening panel includes Amy Wilkinson, artistic director of Chicago's international dance film festival IN/Motion, along with artist Sara Zalek and other panelists to be announced, moderated by Pivot Arts Director Julieanne Ehre.

Video Corpo opens Friday, November 16 at 7 p.m. at Defibrillator Gallery
at the Zhou B Art Center, 1029 W. 35th Street, and Saturday, November 17 at 7 p.m. at SITE/less, 1250 West Augusta Boulevard, with installations at both locations continuing through December 7 (visit each location's website for hours).
Pivot Arts presents a film screening and panel discussion Friday, November 30
at 7:30 p.m. at Chicago Filmmakers, 5720 N. Ridge Avenue.
Admission to each of the openings at Defibrillator and SITE/less,
and the screening and panel discussion at Chicago Filmmakers,
is a suggested $10 donation at the door.

Gallery hours at SITE/less and Defibrillator are free and open to the public.
For more information, visit siteless.org, dfbrl8r.org, and pivotarts.org. ABOUT THE PRESENTERS

Zephyr and SITE/less
Zephyr is an experimental dance company that has had a strong artistic presence in Chicago for more than 20 years. Zephyr pushes to the edge of the discipline to question current trends in dance making and the reduction of the art form to its most quantifiable, easily recognized patterns. In April 2018, Zephyr Director Michelle Kranicke and architect David Sundry opened SITE/less, an experimental architecture, movement, and research center that seeks to rethink the relationship between the typical model of most performance venues and how the organization of those venues inevitably limits and conditions the curatorial practice. SITE/less does not exist in a traditional "finished" state, but rather continues to evolve and grow with time, functioning as an incubator, a laboratory, a physical structure, a dance, and a place where distinct art forms can speak directly to each other. In addition, SITE/less aims to facilitate connection with the public and promote social interaction by creating an atypical arena hosting non-art events, such as community meetings and pop-up dinners. Zephyr Dance is supported, in part, by, The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Illinois Arts Council Agency, Bucktown Art Fest, Friends of Holstein Park, and numerous individuals.
For more information, visit zephyrdance.com or siteless.org.

Defibrillator Gallery (DFBRL8R or DFB)
Defibrillator Gallery was formed in 2010 as a platform for performance art. Contextualizing performance within the realm of visual art, DFB embraces those who look to the body in concert and conversation with time, space, object, nature, architecture, or society. Bold and courageous programming aims to provoke thought and stimulate discourse surrounding underrepresented voices and time-based practices. Working with established and emerging artists, DFB is dedicated to fostering local makers while invigorating Chicago with artists of exceptional caliber from around the world. Actively contributing to a global dialog surrounding conceptual, ephemeral, or enigmatic forms of expression, live art exhibitions aim to expand public perception regarding what art is and what art can be. Energetically building community and fostering discourse, DFB raises awareness, appreciation, and respect for the medium of performance art. Defibrillator is made possible with support from The Reva and David Logan Foundation; Apis Mellifera Fidelity Charitable Grant; Elizabeth Morse Genius Charitable Trust; Martha Strutters Farley and Donald C. Farley, Jr. Family Foundation; Zhou B Art Center; DFBRL8R Board of Directors; and generous contributions from our loving community.
For more information, visit dfbrl8r.org.

Pivot Arts
Pivot Arts produces and presents contemporary and multidisciplinary performance on Chicago's far North Side. The organization develops new work and presents performances throughout the year culminating in a large-scale festival. Pivot's vision is that of a vibrant community where collaborations between artists, businesses, and organizations lead to the support and creation of unique performance events. Pivot Arts was formed in September 2012 as a pivot point, or central hub, that could connect innovative arts partners and programming. It supports multidisciplinary artists through its arts incubator program and fosters the creation of imaginative performance events. In addition to the Pivot Arts Festival, Pivot hosts a Live Talk series that includes performances and discussions and creates unusual, site-specific works.

For more information, visit pivotarts.org.