Akirash Audition | Fusebox 2018

ARTIST NAME:

OLANIYI RASHEED AKINDIYA

PROJECT TITLE:

Saso L'Oju Egun - Behind the Mask

PERFORMANCES:

Akirash is seeking 10 individual Austin resident to collaborate with him for 4 performances during Fusebox 2018.

REHEARSALS:

Rehearsals will take place 1-2x month for 2 hours leading up to April 18. Performances are paid.

ABOUT:

During my textile research, I was awarded a fellowship residency at SACATAR INSTITUTO in Bahia, Brazil where my paper tapestry technique became influenced by the traditional fabric of the BAHIA people, who have a close connection to the Yoruba people of Nigeria through the slave trade. They both celebrate the Egungun Festival, a traditional religious ritual, where masqueraders dance in elaborate costumes.

My head spun with questions. What is the significance of the masquerade? What is the purpose in the culture of this festival? From where did those costumes and masks come? Who designed them with what influence? What preparation do the performers go through before the festival? Do the patterns used have any relationship to the tattoos and body art of today? Until I gathered enough information to tell my story by using ART and also to bring past into and to see how this cultural project can also have meaning to the situation of our exiting economy, communication, social life, political era of today and mostly to interpret it to contemporary artwork which can fit, can be shown anywhere in the world.

Then I start asking myself about other culture’s costumed traditions like the HALLOWEEN celebration in America and the Day of the Dead Festival in Mexico (Dia de Los Muertos) And many more like this. The Masquerade has become an obsession for me. My plan for this Project is to delve deeper into this new passion. I have complete the creation of 10 original masquerade costumes from traditional materials that can both be worn and displayed as sculpture installation. I and 9 other dancers / or ordinary resident of Austin will collaborate on dance pieces to perform in public spaces wearing the masquerade costumes, it will be video, photography. I plan to create book / catalogue of everything and to be able to share the video in other international art festival around the world. This project also look into our leader’s today only care about our vote and after they are elected every promise is left untouched. So many of us put up masks and we hide behind so many faces.

The world has become very small. Migration, state of economy is our international dilemma. Nationalism and xenophobia are our symptoms; economic and political dislocation is our disease. Globalism and environmental disruption are our circumstances. But, it is always the individual who suffers or inflicts suffering. How can I tell their stories? How can I heal the ruptures? There is also something powerful in the act of using traditional art forms to illuminate contemporary issues. It is a tool to address our current situation in health, politics, economy, war, as well as to generate tourism and increase collaboration and better understanding.

PERFORMANCE DESCRIPTION:

1st performance is the opening the exhibition is 18th April, at that evening I will like need 7 ladies to collaborate with me for one performance / story telling about IYESMOJA ( MAMI WATER/ MANMAID) I will be wearing one of the costume and do some designs for the 7 ladies to wear and I will design their body with some motif using body paints.

2nd perform will be on 22 April, which we will telling a story which focus on food / farm harvest. With this performance one person will wear the costume, and 8 other people will support him / her during the performance.

3rd performance will also be on 22 April, this one will focus on mother and children, one person will wear the costume and others will support her and they will be carrying doll

babies.

4th performance is also 22 April, at the moment all the 10 costume will be wear and come out to stage to dance / perform and I will lead with different costume