Located right on the edge of campus at the Rotunda, Philly’s FringeArts festival’s “One Year” powerfully features stories of the mothers of murder victims in Philly. And while the stories are devastating, this is a must–see for anyone passing by.
In the arts, the word “fringe” could metaphorically suggest a veering away from the mainstream—perhaps a loud, out–of–the–ordinary theatrical experiment worthy of snaps or catcalls, or at least a performance on the opposite side of the tracks. “One Year,” a multimedia installation and performance, bucks that trend.
“One Year” features spoken word performances that complement the ghostly installation. In these segments, as patrons peruse the sides of the drapes, an initial narrator approaches the platform and sings with reverberating notes of pain and heartache. As she finishes, mothers join in and share their numbing stories, such as “I Touched the Hand That Pulled the Trigger” and “The Uncertainty of Loss.”
Commissioned by MamaCITA, a “Mothers’ Cooperative in the Arts,” the piece is a product of a year–long art and mentoring partnership with Mothers in Charge, an organization that seeks to end violence in Philadelphia neighborhoods. Local artists Janice Hayes–Cha, Brenda Howell, Julie Mann, Karen Hunter McLaughlin and Kimberly Mehler started the piece by manipulating wires into 331 unique vessels. The vessels are distinct, fragile shapes—some geometric and others irregular. They hang off white drapes, collectively arranged in a circle. The wire vessels symbolize individual personality quirks or physical attributes of 331 murdered Philadelphians in 2012, and they chillingly give a voice to the voiceless.
The space of the Rotunda is appropriate for an installation that wants to anger a society apathetic towards its own destruction. The building’s disrepair is overwhelming. What was probably an ideal embodiment of Palladian architecture now has a decrepit chandelier lying in the corner and walls of peeled paint exposing the underlying brick. It’s disappointing that Penn has overlooked supporting the upkeep of the Rotunda, but at least the installation within it can hold its own.
So while it’s easy for the next–door frat to blast Ke$ha and to encourage carefree artificiality, visiting this installation and one of its accompanying spoken word performances could bring out the serious adult in you.
Visit the installation for free at The Sanctuary at The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA. Open September 12–15 and 19–20 from 6–8 p.m.; live performance on September 21 at 6:30 p.m.
