chashama

last thursday I had the pleasure of seeing Leanne Schmidt and Kate Fauvell perform 8PM at chashama's 37th street location. chashama is an arts organization which curates performances and installations in a number of manhattan storefront locations. leanne, a choreographer, and kate, a painter, teamed up in this tiny gallery to explore the intersections between the two artist's processes.

kate hung several large sheets of white paper on the gallery walls, painting scenes of the sidewalk audience in drippy ink washes. her brush strokes were simple and gestural, often using a broad house painter's brush. this allowed the imagery to appear slowly, creating an active performance in which the audience could engage. leanne seemed like a child in a sandbox- curious and cautious. she remained vaguely aware of kate's presence, but mostly played her own games. both artists wore white- leanne in gauzy dance clothes, and kate wrapped in a sheet, toga-style. the brightness of the space created by the white walls and costumes and warm lighting made the gallery shine like a jewel box for the sidewalk guests. a beautifully composed soundscape was broadcast on small speakers attached to the building's façade.

hanging out on the sidewalk in such a busy part of the city- midtown west- garment district and a few blocks from times square- was really fun and odd. mostly because it felt like we shouldn't have been there- uninvited guests on a heavily trafficked street. a japanese t.v. crew added to the mahem, as well as two still photographers.

8PM is being performed again this thursday. at 8pm.