The whole series of my life appeared to me as a dream; I sometimes doubted if indeed it were all true, for it never presented itself to my mind with the force of reality
the mary shelley project
is a performative collaboration lead by composer/vocalist Muriel Louveau (France) and choreographer/scavenger performance artist Autumn Kioti (USA), who reach back in time to explore, commune with, and inhabit the dreamscapes of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, The Last Man, and many other books, short stories, and essays.
At the time Shelley wrote most prolifically, the world had been plunged into semi-darkness by the cataclysmic eruption of Mount Tambora, in Indonesia. Crop-failure, mass stampedes of herding animals, famine, and a significant increase in riots, murders, group hysteria, and fatal illnesses followed in the Year Without a Summer (1816).
Together, Muriel and Autumn devise a theatrical movement tying the biographical, contextual and fictional elements of Mary Shelley's life and times into an emergent whole. Exploring a country of daydreams, as well as voyage into nightmares, they stitch together a narrative seeking to break through the gothic overtones and historical trappings to find its place in the world of parallels that make up the present.
"...The question becomes whether or not modern readers who have been blinded to Shelley’s meaning through a barrage of bad film representations of the novel are ever going to be able to see past the malformed monster itself to the deeper issues at the core of our very being..."
is a performative collaboration lead by composer/vocalist Muriel Louveau (France) and choreographer/scavenger performance artist Autumn Kioti (USA), who reach back in time to explore, commune with, and inhabit the dreamscapes of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, The Last Man, and many other books, short stories, and essays.
At the time Shelley wrote most prolifically, the world had been plunged into semi-darkness by the cataclysmic eruption of Mount Tambora, in Indonesia. Crop-failure, mass stampedes of herding animals, famine, and a significant increase in riots, murders, group hysteria, and fatal illnesses followed in the Year Without a Summer (1816).
Together, Muriel and Autumn devise a theatrical movement tying the biographical, contextual and fictional elements of Mary Shelley's life and times into an emergent whole. Exploring a country of daydreams, as well as voyage into nightmares, they stitch together a narrative seeking to break through the gothic overtones and historical trappings to find its place in the world of parallels that make up the present.
"...The question becomes whether or not modern readers who have been blinded to Shelley’s meaning through a barrage of bad film representations of the novel are ever going to be able to see past the malformed monster itself to the deeper issues at the core of our very being..."
BIOGRAPHIES
Autumn Kioti was born in South Florida.
Her interdisciplinary practice combines improvisational movement and choreography using found objects, mask and puppet building from scavenged items, painting and illustration, etching and print-based work, folk arts, aerial art and circus, martial arts, theatre, photography and written works.
In addition, Autumn continues to appear on stage and screen as an actor and movement artist, drawing heavily from the lore and ritual of her American Indian roots. She has performed in and/or choreographed aerial/theatrical/dance/fight movement-based works throughout the world, from Jakarta, Indonesia to Madison Square Garden; for NYFA, Brooklyn Museum of Art, countless Fringe Festivals, exhibitions, and theatre companies. Her recent collaboration with Nooshin Rostami, House of Strength, was named one of the top ten at DUMBO Arts Festival 2014.
She lives in Harlem, NYC.
Her interdisciplinary practice combines improvisational movement and choreography using found objects, mask and puppet building from scavenged items, painting and illustration, etching and print-based work, folk arts, aerial art and circus, martial arts, theatre, photography and written works.
In addition, Autumn continues to appear on stage and screen as an actor and movement artist, drawing heavily from the lore and ritual of her American Indian roots. She has performed in and/or choreographed aerial/theatrical/dance/fight movement-based works throughout the world, from Jakarta, Indonesia to Madison Square Garden; for NYFA, Brooklyn Museum of Art, countless Fringe Festivals, exhibitions, and theatre companies. Her recent collaboration with Nooshin Rostami, House of Strength, was named one of the top ten at DUMBO Arts Festival 2014.
She lives in Harlem, NYC.
Muriel Louveau, born in Brittany, is a French composer, performance-maker, and singer.
Muriel began performing age Five and went on to study the history of art and literature. She refers to her compositions as contemporary medieval music inspired by ancient european music, and creates her own imaginary language.
"my songs drive us into a cosmopolitan space and time somewhere at the crossroad of the other languages," explains Louveau.
Festivals and International events include those in the USA, New York (Next Wave Festival, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Le Poisson Rouge, Irving Plaza), Conservatory of Peabody Baltimore (2009 and 2011 40 years of Looking for The Future multi media concert, John Hopkins University), SKIFF 2002 in St Petersburg, French spring 2007 Festival(Latvia), Etonnante Lettonie, Beaubourg center, Paris (2005), Europe XXL 2009 Lille 3000 (France), Tales of Colours (Latvia -France ).
Muriel's songs have been broadcast on BBC 3 and WNYC Radio, she has been invited to Cuny TV, and has released four educational albums for French children (ARB music). For more about Muriel, please visit her complete biography here.
Muriel began performing age Five and went on to study the history of art and literature. She refers to her compositions as contemporary medieval music inspired by ancient european music, and creates her own imaginary language.
"my songs drive us into a cosmopolitan space and time somewhere at the crossroad of the other languages," explains Louveau.
Festivals and International events include those in the USA, New York (Next Wave Festival, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Le Poisson Rouge, Irving Plaza), Conservatory of Peabody Baltimore (2009 and 2011 40 years of Looking for The Future multi media concert, John Hopkins University), SKIFF 2002 in St Petersburg, French spring 2007 Festival(Latvia), Etonnante Lettonie, Beaubourg center, Paris (2005), Europe XXL 2009 Lille 3000 (France), Tales of Colours (Latvia -France ).
Muriel's songs have been broadcast on BBC 3 and WNYC Radio, she has been invited to Cuny TV, and has released four educational albums for French children (ARB music). For more about Muriel, please visit her complete biography here.