Wall of Invisible Difference (2006)
wall of invisible difference is a dance expressing the tension and beauty of difference within compressed geography. Residing in the space immediately in front of Chicago artist Jackie Kazarian's 12-foot painting, Mary, the dance alternates between solo and ensemble action, placing individuality and unity within a small, dynamic space.
Mary is saturated with color and pattern, as well as story, permeated by Kazarian's personal memories of her Armenian grandmother. Set to songs from Argentine composer Osvaldo Golijov's Ayre, the dances follow the expansive range of the song cycle, whose folk origins span many emotions, languages and locations.
Moire Conroy's costume design for wall of invisible difference simultaneously makes the dancer disappear or appear into the wallpaper by using different treatments on the front and backside of the costumes.
Credits
- Choreography by Carrie Hanson
- Painting by Jackie Kazarian
- Music: Ayre by Osvaldo Golijov
- Costume by Moire Conroy
- Performance by Christina Gonzalez-Gillett, Jen Grisham, Carrie Hanson, Amanda McAlister, Jonathan Meyer, Bruce Ortiz, and Cara Sabin
More from our collaborator, Chicago artist Jackie Kazarian
The Garden Wallpapers (1995-2001)
The Garden Wallpapers were created in honor of four gardeners who taught me the value of solitude, ritual and tenacity. They are informed by my memory of a Japanese wallpaper that hung in my grandmother's kitchen and occupied my thoughts as I watched her prepare meals.
The papers hang like Japanese scrolls filled with lessons and remembrance. Mary is for my late grandmother Mary Kazarian, who emigrated to the U.S. during the Armenian genocide of 1915 and overcame her difficult memories with tokens of prosperity and beauty.
The circular tatting pattern is from her work and the large hot peonies represent hospitality in Midwestern gardens. When peonies are transplanted, only years of care make them thrive again.
For more information, go to www.jackiekazarian.net.