Art in Odd Places
A roundup of October cultural highlights
Writing to you on NYC Marathon day- if you ran, congratulations, if you cheered, congratulations, and if you just have been watching marathon videos, congratulations.
Every year on this day I giggle thinking about my 3 NYC marathon experiences:
NYC Marathon 1: I caught the flu the week of but didn’t want to back out because if you don’t cancel your bib by a certain time you get blacklisted the following year. I had planned to run across the Verrazano bridge and bail- I hadn’t eaten all week and could barely walk without losing my breath. An old coworker kept trying to make me laugh and keep me warm with her layers while we waited to start in the cold in Staten Island. But then I saw my parents in Brooklyn and I couldn’t stop. And I kept seeing them and wanting to go a bit further. I finished with a lime green face at the end and no voice for a week. I don’t recommend what I did but it was- an experience.
NYC Marathon 2: My menstrual cycle decided to start around 5 minutes before the start. I made the mistake to assume it would not when I left that morning and that if anything- medical tents would be equipped to help. Welp- they did not so I did what I could with what I had. My dot was stuck in a place for a minute which worried friends. But after an hour or so of figuring that out- I somehow blocked that situation out of my brain and had a good time (?!).
NYC Marathon 3: Because of the last two experiences I didn’t tell folks I was running it a third time- and this proved to be the overall best experience. It was a gorgeous day, no physical surprises. I had enough energy to subway home and produce a gala the next day for work- which wasn’t a choice so glad I was able to!!
Since cheering for the marathon on the sidelines, I’ve realized that that’s where my heart is, cheering with New Yorkers for every day people (and elite athletes). And though I am grateful for these experiences running it- I am ok looking at them from a distance!!
Performance
The Stars: Big Ellie and Paloma Diamond:
Big Ellie: Along with every Brooklynite and New Yorker, I have suddenly enjoyed watching afternoon Basketball because of a furry mascot otherwise known as Big Ellie. I saw her live at the second to last game in the finals and could have kneeled down to her from the sheer amount of inspiration from her performance. She manages to entertain the entire arena alone. A star on the dance floor, she’ll explode into a split, whips her braid back and forth (with- let’s bring it back to reality- A REALLY HEAVY HEAD- I hope real person gets a massage). Launched as a mascot in 2021- she has become New York’s most popular Halloween costume and gotten her own brand deals (which let’s bring it back to reality- I hope they get $$$$$$$$$$$$$$!!!!). Ellie- if you’re reading this I love you.
Paloma Diamond A friend in my dance (twerk) class asked me what I consume these days for TV viewing pleasure to take my mind off of this moment and I was so glad she asked because it led me to realize how important JulianSewell’s Paloma Diamond series has been to my well being. Paloma Diamond is a fake 80’s tv show in which Julian plays all the characters. The series stars Paloma Diamond, who is also a fictional actress, playing the role of Dina after her divorce from Rocky. The satirical skit led to ironic fandom which is even funnier than the show- the comments and separate tiktoks made based on the show make me CACKLE out loud. Some also role play as moms in the 80’s rushing home from a long day at work to watch the latest Paloma Diamond episode, others cry with a beverage in hand because their favorite characters are being fooled. Fan groups have developed around the world- Malaysia, Germany, Spain etc.. and gather in the comments. It’s a worldwide private joke and I never needed it more than now.
Belarus Free Theater: The Belarus Free Theater is the only theater company in Europe to be banned by its government- they’re only able to rehearse at the American embassy and have been making anti-fascist work since 2005. After seeing their work “Burning Doors” in 2016 featuring Pussy Riot’s Maria Alyokhina- I sort of made a personal vow to see every piece they performed in NY. Seeing their work- which on its own is phenomenal- reminds you of the precarity of theater and what actual heroism looks like for artists. Their latest work KS6: Small Forward is centered around and featuring the only athlete in the history of Belarus to come out as gay and be banned as a result from her country- Katsiaryna (Katya) Snytsina. Each seat in the theater had a headshot and story of a different political prisoner in Belarus right now and QR codes to write letters of support to them. It was dark but also embedded with moments of joy and participation, including a basketball shooting competition (is this correct lol?) which- Sarah won.
Alex Rodabaugh: I caught Alex’s work as part of a shared bill with Rebecca Patek and Anh Vo at CPR with Nads and Lydia and felt a sense of relief that he was still making work after not seeing a piece by him since before the Covid times. Alex is a rare performance genius- whose kind heart makes him choose when and what to say, even if that means taking 2 years off. He takes our world in, and spits it back for us to look at. His latest in-process work 🕳n-1🕳 is about America’s culture of violence, through gaming and war- that is inherently performative and to no end. There is a detachment through which he takes in audience members as they enter through a VR set, and of the projected video game he created of soldiers killing each other over and over- that are seemingly part of the same team until no one is left. In a war scene folks are still trying to live their normal lives, trying to find a potato in the house or joking casually about running an old teacher over. It left me wondering what we were doing watching this show as war is happening behind us.
Movies/TV
Dahomey: Dahomey is a breathtaking documentary following the return of 26 royal treasures from the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris back to the current Republic of Benin- in 2021. It’s the first documentary I’ve seen on the topic and manages to cover so much more making the art pieces come to life and us witness to questions with no clear answers. Is 26 pieces returned enough when 7,000 were missing? Is it fair for these pieces to now be in storage at the presidential palace which most Beninois will never set foot in? And of course questions around reparations. College students in Benin debate these questions in the doc and leave us with more.
The Outrun: Is a gorgeous film featuring Saoirse Ronan in a lady bird-esque character. It’s about recovery from the perspective of the Alcoholic and finding ourselves in nature- set in a gorgeous island off the coast of Scotland. A true beauty.
The Apprentice: Eery movie about how Trump came to who he is, set in the 80s-90s- with gorgeous cinematography and with Jeremy Strong, unbelievable as Roy Cohn. The release time of this film leaves us wondering how it will stand so soon.
Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara (streaming): follows the incredible journey of Erin Lee Carr trying to find “Fegan” (Fake Tegan) who has been fooling their fan base and abusing of them emotionally. It’s objectively a wild story and makes me sad at how Tegan and Sara’s naive generosity turned against them.
Visual Art
Laurie Simmons at 56Henry: Laurie Simmons (Lena Dunham’s mom) goes back to her roots in this show building installations out of the objects she used in her photographs- creating a whole new medium- a meld of object/collage work or almost painting and sculpture. There is a nostalgia and creepiness to all these parts that were a part of an old world.
Sending you some healing sounds-
Allie