FUSION
A Celebration of the 2023 Fellow Artists in Residence
Featured Artists
Maggie Bridger
Meredith Haines
Shalaka Kulkarni
Corey Smith
Kinnari Vora
Juliann Wang
High Concept Labs, in partnership with Experimental Station, presents new works by the 2023 HCL Fellow Artists in Residence. Each featured artist has selected one piece to present that has formed throughout their two year residency with High Concept Labs. The energy, ideas, concepts, feelings, thoughts, and processes of each of the six featured artists have coalesced and fused into the new works being presented across a full day of festivities at Experimental Station.
Come and see the results of this fusion.
Schedule
Photo by Michelle Reid
Doors open at 11:00 a.m.
Complimentary light refreshments will be available between all performances.
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Kinnari Vora
Antarabhava | Death Cafe
Antarabhava is a meditation on impermanence and mortality. Kinnari Vora, in collaboration with the Ishti Collective invites you to a collective space to tend to your grief: pause, reflect, and nourish. As a part of their ongoing work Antarabhava, they host a death cafe facilitated by Matt Binder. A death cafe is a space where individuals, often strangers, engage in discussions about death with the aim ‘to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.' Participants are invited to engage as they feel comfortable. ASL Interpretation provided.
1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Maggie Bridger
Lab E | Convening of Chicago's Disabled Artists
This convening invites anyone who is invested in fostering a vibrant disabled artist ecosystem in Chicago to reflect on the pilot year of “Lab E”. This program is centered around artists with a lived experience of disability including Deaf, disabled, sick, neurodivergent, and Mad artists (including those working through their relationship to these categories) working in all mediums. Convening facilitators, Maggie Bridger, Andy Slater, and Reveca Torres, and participants will think together about what is most needed to continue building Chicago’s disability art community and what platform can best support Chicago’s disabled artists. Masks are required for this event. ASL interpretation and CART provided. Click here for more details.
3:30 - 4:00 p.m.
Corey Smith
ALMOST NOTHING | a new performance
Roger Margerum’s Ingram House sticks out. It stands sleek, boxy, and modernist at the end of a block of classic Chicago two-flats. ALMOST NOTHING is a new performance by Corey Smith that looks to the Ingram House as a site of exploration and inquiry.
Featuring original music, lights, and dance, ALMOST NOTHING takes place inside the footprint of the Ingram House, replicated inside the Experimental Station.
photo by Sharvari Kulkarni
4:30 - 5:00 p.m.
Shalaka Kulkarni
Conversakath
Conversakath is an introspective exploration of the intimate conversation between an artist and her departed teacher. This work delves into the profound themes of aging, relationships, and transitions, showcasing the enduring bond between the two different generations and perspectives. Conversakath shares the essence of this relationship through the shared love for the dance form of Kathak. Shalaka will be sharing an excerpt of Conversakath as a way to cherish the memories and wisdom passed down from generation to generation.
Photo by Greg Inda
5:30 - 6:00 p.m.
Juliann Wang
Lights on the Horizon
Juliann’s presentation will feature segments of performative work developed during her HCL residency. Through an interdisciplinary presentation that blends spoken word, instrumental music, dance, and visual elements, Juliann explores the role of perception and time in acknowledging meaningful cycles of renewal in the season of contemplation. The audience is invited to join Juliann in this sonic/sensory experience.
Photo by Leah Wendzinski
6:30 - 7:00 p.m.
Meredith Haines
My Body is My Sickness
My Body is My Sickness is a collaborative performance between Meredith Haines and Liv Mershon. Liv, a member of the experimental music project “nunn”, will be translating Meredith's movement into sound. Through this process, this piece explores how language perpetuates STI stigma in the media and daily life.
7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Artist Reception
Help us send off the 2023 cohort of Fellow Artists in Residence! Enjoy complimentary drinks and hors d'oeuvres with HCL staff and resident artists.
Get Tickets
Advanced registration is strongly suggested.
A select amount of tickets will be available at the door.
Access Services
Free street parking is available. The accessible entrance to Experimental Station is a red door on the east side of the building. The nearest bus stops are the #59 at 61st and Dorchester or the #2, #171, and #172 at 60th and Kenwood. Experimental Station is a few blocks away from the University of Chicago/59th Street Metra Station.
The first floor of Experimental Station, where the event will be held, is wheelchair accessible, including accessible bathroom stalls. The main performance space utilizes fluorescent overhead lighting.
For any other questions or requests regarding accessibility, please contact Angee Lennard, HCL’s Accessibility Coordinator, at angee@highconceptlabs.org or 312-374-1117.
Presented by High Concept Labs, Monira Foundation, and Experimental Station, where HCL is in residence.