Photo Description: Emily, a white femme, stands against a large projection of a bouquet of flowers. She is arched back with the top of her head touching the wall. Hannah, a white non-binary person, is kneeling behind her with their arms outstretched. Emily is wearing a black mesh and velvet shirt and black pants with stripes down the sides. Hannah is wearing barely visible light pants and a colorful shirt. The flowers are pink, purple, yellow and blue- the foregrounded flowers are out of focus and the ones in the background are in focus.

Photo Description: Emily, a white femme, stands against a large projection of a bouquet of flowers. She is arched back with the top of her head touching the wall. Hannah, a white non-binary person, is kneeling behind her with their arms outstretched. Emily is wearing a black mesh and velvet shirt and black pants with stripes down the sides. Hannah is wearing barely visible light pants and a colorful shirt. The flowers are pink, purple, yellow and blue- the foregrounded flowers are out of focus and the ones in the background are in focus.

Photo Description: Emily and Hannah fall away from each other as their arms reach beyond each other’s bodies. Behind them is a projection of an arial view of the Pacific Ocean framed by the side of a cliff. The projection also shows up on their skin and clothing. Hannah is wearing light pants with rainbows on the pockets and a multi-colored shirt. Emily is wearing a dark shirt, and her eyes are closed.

Photo Description: Emily and Hannah fall away from each other as their arms reach beyond each other’s bodies. Behind them is a projection of an arial view of the Pacific Ocean framed by the side of a cliff. The projection also shows up on their skin and clothing. Hannah is wearing light pants with rainbows on the pockets and a multi-colored shirt. Emily is wearing a dark shirt, and her eyes are closed.

apogee is a performance co- created with Hannah Krafcik that was presented at Performance Works Northwest as part of the Alembic Artist Residency Series and at Portland Institute for Contemporary Art in their TBA:21 festival.

In addition, a virtual version of apogee was exhibited at PICA, as well available for online streaming from September 17-October 3, 2021. That version is available here. The virtual version of this performance features videography and editing by Evan Benally Atwood, captions by Cheryl Green, and Audio Description by Hannah Krafcik and Emily Jones. An extended transcript of the virtual performance is also available here.

description

this system is a living-ghost

that knows what is dead in life 

what is alive in detritus

rejecting, absorbing

repercussions of the fake-real

and layers of data to sense through 

touching truths that don’t abide by logic

awake in dreams

and online when all else is disrupted

What does it mean to have a critically engaged nervous system? What intuitive and predictive technologies do bodyminds hold, and how do they help realize personal truths (what we don’t yet know we know)? This offering is a sci-fi-inspired multi-sensory stim, a personal reflection on the ways our sensitive systems intertwine with surroundings—how they collapse time, reorganize, spin out, and regulate. It brings together video, sound, text, and movement elements, which we have gathered and arranged again and again throughout the pandemic. 

Apogee is climax at a distance.  

collaborators & credits

Choreographed by Emily Jones and Hannah Krafcik

Performed by Hannah Krafcik and Emily Jones

Sound design and music by Hannah Krafcik 

Videography and editing for scenic projections by Hannah Krafcik with contributions from Emily Jones

Dramaturgy by Allie Hankins 

Lighting design by Jeff Forbes 

Captions for live and virtual performances by Cheryl Green

Videography and editing of virtual performance by Evan Benally Atwood, with additional edits by Hannah Krafcik

Audio description for virtual performance by Hannah Krafcik and Emily Jones with consulting by Cheryl Green

Audio description for live performance by Alyson Osborn

ASL for live performance by Jme James

Outfits feat. 8 palms, Big Bud Press, and second hand clothing

apogee was made possible through the Alembic Artist Residency at Performance Works NW and with support from the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art