twentyonetwentyfour (2024)

Judson Memorial Church Sept 25 2024

by Elliot Reed

curated by Malcolmx Betts + Arien Wilkerson I'm delivering an hour long epic-poem style lament inspired by my recent history. Deaths in the family, moving between continents twice, sickness, triumphs, mistakes, misdeeds, etc. In my last few performances I've been thinking a lot about "chances." Divination is a convenient tool to displace a sense of personal responsibility to the ether and won't be present in this work. I hope to rid myself of my obsession with "consequences" in this work. Is there a version of the present where "because I want to" is enough? Can we convince ourselves that there is no past and there is no future there is only now. It is fair and logical to make decisions in order to support ones future self, but impossible to move while burdened with the past. The gift of a proper lament is not to subject the other to suffering - but to rip open, dissect, and expose that which immobilizes us. YES it happened, but also WE are happening now. So, now what?

xx,