Trilogy by Cécile B. Evans
January 22 to January 31, 2016
Trilogy is a unique sequence of videos where Cécile B. Evans sets herself and other performers at center stage, engaging the camera with gestures, music and special effects that reference pop icons Paula Abdul, Beyoncé and Whitney Houston, and choreographers Pina Bausch, Lucinda Childs and Teresa De Keersmaeker. There is an element of magic that has stardust flowing from fingers and water turning from one colour to another. Asparaguses dance, tears fall and potatoes float to an underlay of music, which moves from slow rhythmic notes to a more melodic pace that at times trips itself. Trilogy is comprised of three short videos Straight Up, Countdown, and I Have Nothing all of which have different referential bases but crossover as they create a feedback loop, blending cultural references from popular music and film to more experimental compositions. The videos have a basic frame that is augmented by a heightened emotional quality built through minimal gestures that at times mix absurd and surrealist imaginations with the raising of an arm or the flash of a soft smile.