13 Fruitcakes is a performance directed by Byungkoo Ahn, with original music by Gihieh Lee and words by the likes of Oscar Wilde and Walt Whitman. The show illustrates rather untold stories of prominent LGBTQ+ figures who have influenced humanity with their brilliant works and inspiration throughout the history, and by doing so celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riot. It premiered at La Mama Experimental Theatre Club during the World Pride 2019. I contributed to this meaningful project with two main roles.
Firstly, I administered an open call for videos as a curator. (http://tinyurl.com/13fruitcakesopencall)
In addition, as artist/video arts head, I created multiple video works, each of which delivers a character’s memorable moments as depicted or nuanced in the performance.
In one of the videos, Gertrude Stein’s Salon at 27 rue de fleurus in Paris gets reconstructed based on two real photographs, with Stein and her partner Alice B. Toklas sitting on couches across from each other in the midst of their vast art collection.
- Stein’s Salon, Reconstructed
Two original photographs used as the basis for the composition above are the following.
- Image 1 – One view of Stein’s Salon
- Image 2 – Another view of Stein’s Salon with Stein and Toklas
Image src: Man Ray Trust/Artists Rights Society/ADAGP, Paris
All videos were projected onto the rear side the stage as part of the stage art. (Stage Design by Griffin Jeong)
More information about the performance and the full credit of the staff and cast : http://lamama.org/13_fruitcakes/
Press Release and Reviews:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/30/arts/pride-month-events.html
http://stagevoices.com/2019/06/18/byungkoo-ahn-13-fruitcakes-review-from-new-york/
http://www.homeheal.theasy.com/Reviews/2019/T/13fruitcakes.php
Video documentation is available upon request.