Chicago MemoryScape: A Moving Art Installation

Have you ever visited a neighborhood, or smelled something that takes you directly back to a moment in time that you can viscerally feel? For this project, I want to investigate the connections that our bodies have to those memories and translate them into movement. I want my audiences to be transported by my memories to different moments in their own lives.

As a native Chicagoan rooted in a deep personal history with the city, the city's many neighborhoods are filled with rich memories that have shaped my five decades. In this travelling storytelling work, I use public art as a backdrop to create spontaneous and crowdsourced dance performances to build new memories. I want to challenge myself to delve deeper into telling my own stories as they relate to growing up in Chicago; and to document my memories through dance, as a memory-scape of my growing up in this unique urban environment. 

This process will take me and six dancers to various murals in Chicago neighborhoods, We will create short dance vignettes inspired by the public art. After creating each storyscape, audience members can choose to become participants in each location by learning simple movement phrases to connect us. 

MemoryScape would begin its programming in August and run through late September while the weather and daylight still permits. By supporting this project you will help us ensure that artists will be compensated for their time in rehearsal and performance. Funding will also go towards rehearsal space for the creation process. Lastly, your support will also ensure that all necessary public safety measures are met. Bringing free public art to our Chicago communities provides accessible opportunities for people to not only learn more about the artists that are creating murals in their neighborhoods but also be exposed to dance in non traditional settings. I believe that now, more than ever, we need to connect our communities to showcase the beauty of our city and the amazing tapestry of people that bring art, culture, and beauty to Chicago.