Kickstarter

It’s a new kind of materialism, a conscience process of getting to know what we have now...

...to move and feel our relationship with matter, temper our consumption, and leave something for the future.

Originally conceived by Sasha Petrenko while in residence at Robert Wilson's Watermill Center for Performance in NY, the performance consists of a set of 12 instructions that can be performed by anyone interested in developing deeper relationships with their objects. 

Our performance asks the audience to reconsider their relationships with objects, beyond the thing's market value. Can our lives be enhanced with a deeper understanding of our material world, where our things come from, how and by whom they were made? Add to that the memories that might be held by that chair, foot stool or table.  This is how it works:

Sasha Petrenko arrives at a location and begins researching the objects and furniture she finds there, while she collects sounds from the space and the surrounding environment. She then creates a custom soundtrack and set from what she finds in each space to make a uniquely poignant performance. 

It's part ritual, part dance, part workshop, and a moving installation with dancers, sound and furniture. Or maybe too a criticism of the current wave of yogi-self-help programs cashing in on our search for something meaningful in an overly materialistic world. It could work! 

We would like to bring Instructions for Movement with Furniture to museums, public and private institutions, and people's homes, where we can offer a completely immersive experience for researchers, patrons, guests and individuals. Imagine an institution's design collection the set and subject for our site-specific performance, where Sasha discusses an object's provenance, famous or forgotten designers and craftspeople, and the historic or humanistic significance of the piece. Like no other program, our project will engage audiences, inform and entertain!

At each performance we provide the audience with copies of the instructions, and the instructions can also be heard as part of the soundtrack. At any time audience members may join in or take the workshop instructions home to try on their own or with a friend.

This April we will be performing for two nights in San Francisco. Invited by leading Bay Area choreographer Hope Mohr, the performances will take place at Footloose Shotwell Studios located at 3252 19th Street, at the corner of Shotwell and 19th, 8-10 PM. Tickets available at Brownpapertickets!

Funding will be used to pay for rehearsal space, carshare to transport furniture, a videographer, a still photographer and to provide a modest stipend to our dancers. This performance marks a major step toward our goal of reaching new audiences, and brings us closer to our dream of presenting the work in galleries, homes and museums around the world.

For more about the project definitely watch the video produced in collaboration with dancers, radio artists Sharon Mashihi and Rachel James. And read Tom Clyde's eloquent analysis here. Please consider being part of our project by donating what you can. It all adds up! Please check out our donor gifts and feel free to contact us with special requests, comments and suggestions. Thank you!  

Very special thank you to Berkeley Mills, InkWorks Press and Heath Ceramics who generously allowed us to tape, video, question and ponder in their midst. This project is dedicated to you!

 Photo credits: Hron Axelsdottir, Sasha Petrenko, Johnna Arnold.             Design: i-f-m-w-f by Dym Products.