Abstract
Joe….The Geography of Here Joe….the individual as a metaphor for a landscape Joe….the individual as a metaphor for a universe or an idea Joe…what has Joe said about artists, their need to travel, citizenship, boundaries, or borders? (A Performance Piece) “Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.” (Jane Jacobs) We share a performance piece examining the everyday person, Joe. We explore Joe through painted images by Las Vegas artist Joe Watson, through a stream of consciousness text, Modern Dance choreography, and Contemporary Music. Through text, visual imagery, movement, and music, Joe is placed within his community-based urban living environment in the 21st Century. Joe is assessed within the notion that cities are for people; they are ‘ecosystems’ for living, breathing, everyday people. Buildings, streets, and neighborhoods enable active life for people and life-giving organisms. Joe is found on sidewalks, within local communities, and in ethnic neighborhoods, as he strives to live synergistically within the natural ecosystem of 21st Century American cities. Joe demonstrates that local expertise is far better suited for providing insightful community development than the distant analysis of outside expertise, which is foreign and inconsistent with the real-life activities and functioning of 21st-century city neighborhoods and communities. Joe knows the neighborhood, and his experience is better suited for the present; a high concentration of people vital for city life!
Presenters
Robert TracyAssociate Professor/Curator, Art, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Louis Kavouras
Chair, Dance, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
The Arts in Social, Political, and Community Life
KEYWORDS
JOE, GEOGRAPHY OF HERE, JOSEPH WATSON, PERFORMANCE PIECE
