New York, NY @ New York Theater Workshop - Nov. 16th-24th, 2020
Providence, RI @ Brown Arts Initiative - Nov. 6th-7th, 2020
Brooklyn, NY @ MITU580 – Aug 24th-Sep. 21st, 2018
Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina @ MESS Festival - Oct. 1 & 2, 2019
“War is inevitable — but there are miracles. Every day millions of people die, yet we live as if death will never touch us.”
– St. Vyasa, The Mahabharata
These words sit at the heart of one of the greatest epic poems— a meditation on war, death, and loss. Its core question is of a particular resonance: what should we fight for and why?
In an attempt to understand this exact question, Theater Mitu spent two years gathering interviews with a range of communities worldwide: current and past members of military forces; citizens who have been directly affected by war; people diagnosed with terminal illness and their families; nurses, spiritual leaders, scholars, and mental health professionals. As they touch upon, come to the edge of, and often confront death, each interview becomes a portrait of what is left behind — a remnant.
The result is a new multi-platform work— part performance, part interactive digital experience. Engaging Theater Mitu’s anti-disciplinary approach to art-making, this original work merges interviews with found text, spatialized audio, projection mapping, and interactive digital art. This work offers an intimate reflection on how loss can scar us, shape us, and at times propel us towards change.
Tours of the in-person production are on hold due to COVID-19 but the interactive digital experience is currently available for virtual exhibition. Please contact [email protected] for more information and visit thisiswhatoneminutefeelslike.com
INTERACTIVE DIGITAL EXPERIENCEAUTHORED BY: Kayla Asbell, Denis Butkus, Alex Hawthorn, Michael Littig, Justin Nestor, Rubén Polendo, Xiao Quan, Attilio Rigotti, Scott Spahr, Corey Sullivan, Ada WestfallDIGITAL CONTENT DESIGN: Justin Nestor, Ada Westfall, Alex HawthornWEBSITE ARCHITECTURE AND BUILDOUT: Alex Reeves & MoonpoolPERFORMED BY: Kayla Asbell, Denis Butkus, Alex Hawthorn, Michael Littig, Justin Nestor, Isabella Uzcategui, Corey Sullivan, Ada WestfallLEAD SOUND DESIGN: Alex HawthornLEAD MUSIC & ORCHESTRATION: Ada WestfallORIGINAL SONGS:"The Shadow" written by Kayla Asbell, backing track performed by The Othermen"Cinder Song" written by Ada Westfall"The First Question" written and produced by Ada Westfall"Milk Song" written and produced by Ada Westfall"Wind Song" written and produced by Ada WestfallREMNANT IN-PERSON PRODUCTION CREATIVE TEAMDIRECTED BY: Rubén PolendoARCHITECTURE BY: Alex Hawthorn, Justin Nestor, Rubén Polendo, Scott SpahrLIGHTING DESIGN: Alex Hawthorn, Rubén Polendo, Attilio Rigotti, Scott SpahrSOUND DESIGN: Alex HawthornTECHNOLOGY DESIGN: Alex Hawthorn, Justin Nestor, Attilio RigottiVIDEO DESIGN: Justin Nestor, Attilio Rigotti, Corey SullivanADDITIONAL RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND ARCHIVE COLLABORATORS: Gaar Adams, Dima Matta, Michael McElroy, Alec Squires, Jimmy WaldenPRODUCTION APPRENTICES: Archita Arun, Ashley Brown, Aya Stolp, Isabella UzcateguiADDITIONAL SONG SAMPLES:“Army Dreamers” written by Kate Bush, from her album Never for Ever (1980), arranged by Michael McElroy and Ada Westfall“He Washed My Eyes With Tears” written by Ira Stanphill (1955), performed by Mary Carter (2015)“The Star-Spangled Banner” music by John Stafford Smith (1773), lyrics by Francis Scott Key (1814), performed by Jimi Hendrix at The Woodstock Music and Art Fair (1969)
This project was made possible with funding from The MAP Fund, Howard Gilman Foundation, New York State Council of the Arts with support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, CEC Artslink, The National Endowment for the Arts, New York City’s Cultural Development Fund, The NYU Abu Dhabi Institute, and New England Foundation for the Arts.
