Friday February 22 * 8pm * $10 suggested * Tickets
Proceeds will benefit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network
MidMountain presents Fatal Female Agency: Reclaiming the Appalachian Murder Ballad
Abby Wendle and David Schulman present Group Howl
Rex Delafkaran presents “CNTRLD SHIFTS” - a movement and sculpture performance, an embodiment of research, a series of questions.
MidMountain presents Fatal Female Agency: Reclaiming the Appalachian Murder Ballad
Fatal Female Agency is a musical project from MidMountain, a DC-based folk duo of Andrea Peterson (vocals/banjo) and Andrew Breiner (guitar), that re-interprets the Appalachian “murder ballad” genre through a lense of righteous feminist fury in an effort to reclaim a musical style that often normalized – if not glorified – violence against women. This show will debut five original songs from MidMountain’s upcoming EP, also titled Fatal Female Agency. The ballads are set in the West Virginian timber and mining booms around the turn of the 20th century and follow fictional women expressing agency with fatal consequences. The performance will be interspersed with historical discussion about the gender oppression roots of the genre and will feature a backdrop of original paintings of peaceful mountain scenes by Peterson to contrast with the inherent violence of the songs.
Andrea Peterson DC-based artist, musician, and writer with a thirst to convey stories about human perseverance, justice, and the healing power of natural spaces. During regular office hours, Peterson is a journalist focused on good government investigations at a local non-profit. Her writing has been published by the Washington Post – where she covered technology for several years – Slate, Politico, The Daily Beast, and other outlets. // Andrew Breiner is a musician who plays guitar for DC punk band Bacchae in addition to his work with MidMountain.
Abby Wendle will facilitate a "group howl" for all who wish to participate. Abby is a producer for NPR’s Invisibilia. Her project, ~1652Hz (the howling dome), is a collaborative sonic experience in which people are invited to make noises they associate with a pain or grievance in their life. This interactive project is installed upstairs at Rhizome from Feb.15-Mar.16. // By turns nocturnal, reflective, funky, and cinematic, the music of electric violinist and composer David Schulman is a weave of jazz harmonies, shimmering orchestral textures, and frolicsome grooves. His sound has been called “mysterious and beautiful” by the Washington Post.
David created the theme music for NPR's new hit show, "The Big Listen," and selections from his debut album, “Quiet Life Motel,” have been heard nationally on NPR and frequently licensed by choreographers and podcasters. The Washington City Paper has described his music as “spontaneous and completely unique.”
Rex (Alexandra) Delafkaran is an Iranian-American interdisciplinary artist, dancer and curator from California, currently based in Washington, DC. Delafkaran holds a degree in Ceramics and Performance Art from the San Francisco Art Institute, and currently is the Gallery Manager at Hamiltonian Gallery. Using movement and objects she explores the rich tensions between bodies, intimacy, language and identities. Selected exhibitions include her recent solo show "Tender Bits" at International Arts & Artists Gallery (DC), "Nevermind Azizam" at Transformer Gallery (DC), "Shadow Casters" at Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum (DC), "Queery for your Vastness" at Diego Rivera Gallery (CA). Selected performances include Panoply Performance Lab (NY), The Textile Museum (DC, George Washington University (DC), Southern Exposure Gallery (CA), and others. While managing Hamiltonian Gallery, Delafkaran curates independently, teaches dance at the Smith Center for Healing and the Arts (DC), and continues to perform and exhibit, making sculpture out of Red Dirt Studios (MD).
This evening's performances are part of a month-long exhibition and performance series devoted to exploring the potentialities and limitations inherent in the theme “Sound Heals All Wounds”. Throughout the month we will present artworks, performances, and discussions dealing with topics like: performance as it is constrained by health challenges; the political power of sound as it relates to feminism, refugee experiences, and social hierarchies; sound as a means of coping with loss; listening as meditative practice; and more.
Sound Installations by:
Abby Wendle / Daniel O’Connor & Unthings / Jeremy Toussaint-Baptiste / Rebecca Mahay
Curated by:
Layne Garrett / Twin Jude / Nate Scheible / Abby Wendle