Indianapolis Museum of Art Blog

When is destruction gorgeous and true?  At the Marion County Fair Demolition Derby.  On a trip there earlier this month, I was awed by the performative aspects of the event.  You could say the derby was as spectacular as anything we’ve presented at the IMA, except perhaps the stunning 2008 Summer Solstice event featuring a Japanese Butoh dancer named Oguri who moved into the fountain on the Lilly House allee and emerged, steaming, in the rays of a powerful searchlight at the moment the sun dropped below the horizon.

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Last night I attended the opening performance in The Toby. It was a memorable experience! The artistry of the musicians – Cho-Liang Lin, Susie Park, Sophie Shao, Atar Arad, and Min Xiao-Fen – was impressive.  More than impressive. It was moving. The passion and joy that each artist conveyed to the audience made the performance a gift. During the first half of the evening, four of the five demonstrated their love for the classical traditions of both China and the West. During the second half, all five performed composer Tan Dun’s Ghost Opera, a visual and sonic work that calls on the musicians to perform ritual-like actions involving water, paper, stones and to use their voices to make sounds not usually heard in a concert hall.

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