Kismet Arts Tangent

One of the most successful Dance Playbacks, performed at WIP Open Mic (sep 24), hosted by Fenner at the Flight Deck. Dance Playback is a piece where I ask the audience what was the best part about your week and the worst. This time I asked them to write it down and put it in a box. During the piece I pulled out pieces of paper and read what they wrote and then danced (think more like charades). It was interesting seeing how they interpreted the instructions. Some peeps wrote down best and worst on the same piece of paper. Not wrong. Some peeps wrote that their best/worst was the same thing, for example, a job interview. Very curious.

psychobotany-program9-9-2psychobotany-program9-17-2

above: programs, containing artist bios, Note: 3 of the 4 shows, the dancers were Hannah Ayasse, Annikah Peabody, and Andrew Rose. The Sunday showing featured Anne Kouzmanoff instead of Annikah.

below: Photos credit to Ezra Reaves, The closing night of psychobotany

Photo Credit to Em Reaves

Photo Credit to Em Reaves

Photo Credit to Em Reaves

Below: Videography Credit to Bill Russell, the third night of psychobotany (fun fact, I assembled the overhead projector incorrectly and the lamp didn’t illluminate — I read the manual later and it worked for the closing show, see above– so the layer of shadows is not presented in this showing of psychobotany– still lovely)

Psychobotany, what a trip! It was a logistical challenge to communicate with the dancers and the musicians, and the venue. It was unlike anything I’ve ever done before. There was a challenge of loading in and out in a crowded theatre, in a hard-to-find-parking neighborhood, but we did it!

About SF Fringe: San Francisco Fringe Festival | produced by EXIT Theatre

I entered a lottery to get a show 60 minutes long into a small black box theatre in early spring this year with an inkling of taking ASMR with Katarina (a show I’ve been evolving) and it took on its own life. I was inspired to do a workshop with live music, Making Your Plants Meditate. I then started thinking about the SF Fringe show being about plant consciousness and inspired by a book, The Secret Life of Plants. Working with local composer, David Samas, I learned a lot about collaboration, planning, communication, and adapting based on feedback.

I must confess, I spent a lot of money paying the musicians and I wish I spent more money paying the dancers and I have a ton of lessons to learn about marketing art. Fringe is interesting because it’s self-production, which means you pay a rental/staff fee and you are responsible for marketing, though they had set up the ticketing and box office and assigned me a technician to work the stage lights and sound cues. You can get only so much exposure from being in the festival. I am planning on doing it again next year. It’s a challenge to get people in the door, but I think with the knowledge I have from doing it this year, I can execute better.

All the thank yous are in the program, so I will acknowledge everyone generally here, but I am incredibly grateful for the miracle that is art performed for an audience and it came together when it mattered. Love psychobotany forever.

I don’t know when the next one will be, but I have been thinking somewhere outside in a garden at night. When I can afford it, maybe I’ll get a grant or something. It’s a worthy thing to behold.

Last July I was invited to join the art collective Klanghaus.

Led by Teddy Hulsker, Klanghaus runs monthly (sometimes themed) art events, inviting artists to showcase work. I enjoy being a part of this group because there’s a variety of mediums and material. Some stuff I’ve done for Klanghaus: contributed to installation art, painted faces, offered massage, made promo vids, made print programs (read typeset), and submitted a vid to be translated into music (Screens and Scores).

I’m looking forward to the next event Playhaus! 1-act plays! I’m in a 15 minute play directed by one of my housemates (who is also a Klanghaus member). My first role in a play since Antigone in High School!

(above is one of the promotional videos I made… I had videography of the first performance, coming soon to this blog)

I had two performances of this piece (which is a living piece, growing and changing) at SAFEhouse for the Arts. With prerecorded music, live overhead projector art manipulation and authentic movement (Authentic Movement – Wikipedia)

This project was conceived a while ago but then it morphed as my collaboration with my composer David Samas continued. My first time working with a professional composer!

Consider buying tix for the SF Fringe festival performances http://psychobotany.bpt.me/

The upcoming event description:

psychobotany
Using a variety of textured microsounds, Katarina Countiss and friends will explore a loose narrative of consciousness, interaction, and the nature of the unknown through a variety of approaches.
by Katarina Countiss
EXPERIMENTAL.
ALL FRINGE SHOWS START ON TIME. THERE IS NO LATE SEATING AND NO REFUNDS FOR LATE ARRIVALS.

Live music by David Samas and Derek Drudge
Movement by Andrew Rose, and Annikah Peabody

Annikah and Andrew explored a lot on on the stage. There was a pile of ribbon and 3 cliplights, as well as my overhead projector doing some great things in that long space.