About this Event
IN THIS OPERA, BY QUEERING SOUND AND METAL, WE ASK OURSELVES THE QUESTION:
HOW CAN WE RECLAIM MATERIALS THAT WERE NEVER MADE IN OUR IMAGE?
Learn more about Never in Our Image on our website:
Pay What You Can tickets available, click your preferred date to see availability. We have a limited number of early release tickets available now. More tickets will be released closer to the performance dates.
Doors open at 7, show starts at 8PM
Never in Our Image is a three-part experimental opera that presents Mercedes’ process of gun transformation through sound. Mercedes creates musical instruments and sonic sculptures from reclaimed guns. Through cutting, melting, and utilizing instruments cast from weapons Mercedes composes musical scores. The work forces the archetype of violence into its opposite: the beauty of music and art. This three-part performance invites the public to become a part of the cathartic experience of gun transformation.
Using the captured audio, instruments, and sonic sculptures created in the previous acts, Mercedes and a team of LGBTQ+ performers will compose and collaborate at CulturalDC’s Blackbox Theatre in Source. Through operatic singing, dance, percussion, techno and contact microphones the performance will ask: how can the act of un-naming (sound, metal, weapons) be queer?
Learn more about this performance series on our website.
See highlights from ACT I - Gun Cutting Ceremony here: https://vimeo.com/culturaldc/neverinourimageacti?share=copy
See highlights from ACT II - Gun Melting Ceremony
https://vimeo.com/848741512?share=copy
Things to know:
Ticketing: Please select a ticketing level that feels right for you. Pay-What-You-Can tickets are available for this performance. We suggest paying $5-10 to help support our programming. Pay-What-You-Can can also be purchased on-site at Source 15 minutes prior to each performance, space permitting. No one will be turned away for a lack of funds.
Performance Timing: Never in Our Image – ACT III will begin around 8 PM. Doors open at 7. You may quietly come and go as you please. The performance is intended to last approximately 60 minutes, however, this is a partially improvised performance and there are no guarantees of start or run times of the performances.
Parking: We understand that parking can sometimes be a concern. Please arrive early if you intend to drive to ensure plenty of time to park. There is free 2 hour parking in the areas around Source Theatre as well as paid parking located at 1425 U St. NW.
Notice: For the safety and security of all attendees, we kindly request that you review and acknowledge our waiver prior to attending the performance. The waiver outlines any potential risks associated with attending the event and serves as an agreement between you and the organizers. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the waiver, please feel free to contact our team, and we will be happy to assist you.
Waiver: You will be expect to sign this waiver upon arrival.
About the Artist:
Stephanie Mercedes
Mercedes is an uncategorized Queer Latinx artist who choreographs large scale performances and installations based in sound. Mercedes transforms weapons into musical installations and works of art.
Mercedes has exhibited and performed at the Bronx Museum, the Queens Museum, the Smithsonian, the Kennedy Center and the National Gallery of Art. She has been funded by George Soros’ Open Society Foundation, Light Works, NALAC, The Foundation for Contemporary Art, WPA, The DC Commission for the Arts, the GLB Memorial Foundation, the Warhol Foundation and the Clarvit Fellowship.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
CulturalDC's Source Theatre, 1835 14th Street Northwest, Washington, United States
USD 0.00 to USD 50.00