PERCEPHONE IN THE LATE ANTHROPOCENE
Jenna Crowder, Corey Anderson
In the Main Space
Persephone in the Late Anthropocene is a new spoken opera by Hinge/Works that re-imagines the Persephone myth — the ancient story of why we have winter — in the age of climate change. This May, SPACE presents the world premiere production of this new experimental opera.
The installation in the main gallery, designed by visual artist Jenna Crowder with lighting design by Corey Anderson, serves as the set for the operatic performances and creates a sense of place in the strange, unknown world of the Anthropocene, the proposed geological era of unprecedented human impact on the earth.
The installation draws inspiration from the natural, the scientific, and the mythic, referencing botanical drawings, ancient psychotropic rituals surrounding the Eleusinian Mysteries, astronomical charts, lab-based genetic modification, herbalism, and alchemy. The installation will come to its fullest realization during the performances, when it supports a centerpiece of a post-Romantic score, Anne Bogart-inspired movement and dance, and the poetry of a spoken libretto while the space shifts from above ground to below and back again.
Support for the Persephone in the Late Anthropocene installation comes from the Moser Family Foundation and the Maine Arts Commission, and in part by generous Kickstarter backers.
