The Watermill Center’s In Process series of open studios and rehearsals by its resident artists will resume next Thursday at 5:30 p.m., with presentations of work by Nile Harris, an interdisciplinary performer, Helen Betya Rubinstein, a writer, and a collaborative project by Adam Lenz, a composer, and Miki Orihara, a dancer.
Elka Rifkin, the center's director, said “Each artist is exploring the facilities, the Watermill collection, or our grounds as a space to experiment and reflect on their work."
During his residency, Mr. Harris will continue to develop "this house is not a home," which sets an improvised physical score inside a sound-responsive bounce castle. Interweaving sonic feedback as a malleable material, the vocal utterances of the cast create a unique musical composition.
Mr. Harris, who received the center's 2022 Baroness Nina von Maltzahn Fellowship for the Performing Arts, said, "The work is interdisciplinary in nature and often falls through the cracks of many traditional presenting institutions. It feels very comforting to be entrusted with the space and to make it my own, even for a brief period of time.
”While at the center, Ms. Rubinstein will research and develop "Monochrome With Misbehavior: On Gender and the Irregular," a collection of essays. Drawing on personal experience, conversation, and readings in queer theory, the essays examine the impact of feminism's second wave on those who grew up in its wake.
"Interacting with different ecosystems and environments is part of my process in general," said Ms. Rubinstein, "and is relevant to this project in particular as I consider questions of nature, the 'natural,' and (eco-)aesthetics."
Mr. Lenz and Ms. Orihara will begin to finalize the sound and choreography of "Bell Child," which is based on the work of the sculptor Isamu Noguchi. A performance for dance and electronic audio, the project reflects on Noguchi's lesser-known ceramic works, including his sculpture of the same name, and the challenges of cross-cultural identity.
Registration for the event is via the center's website.
