Please join us for an evening of innovative dance by Jody Weber exploring our relationships with work in constructed environments and its impact on our lives.
In 1845 Henry David Thoreau retreated to his cabin at Walden Pond in Massachusetts to experiment with a life of simplicity. He kept detailed records of his environment including when the pond froze and thawed and when each variety of plant bloomed in spring. Less than 30 miles away the industrial revolution was well underway at the Lowell Mills that employed over 10,000 people, mostly women, to generate fabric for an explosion of ready-made American clothing. Today we own closets full of clothing and mass made material goods that would have boggled the mind of the average nineteenth century American.
Recent research has utilized Thoreau’s detailed observations on the plants of Walden Pond and revealed that those same plants are blooming an average of three weeks earlier than they did in 1845. It is no longer disputed that human activity is contributing to climate change, so what have we gained and what are we losing? What did these mill girls gain in financial independence, and what did they lose as they disconnected with the natural world and entered the life of dormitories and machines?
The evening will intersect two of Weber's most recent works—Habitat and Of Looms and Lilies—in a ground-breaking evening of both site-specific work and traditional theatrical presentation. The evening is an investigation of workspaces and the environment, and the proliferation of material wealth generated by the Industrial Revolution and its effect on both our personal and spiritual lives, and its wider impact through Climate Change.
Danced by Whitney Cover, Caitlin Klinger, Lizbie Harbison, Shannon Humphreys, Kristy Kuhn, & Jennifer Roberts
Creation of Looms and Lilies was supported by a Boston Center for the Arts Residency and a Bridgewater State University CARS Summer Grant.
Tickets are $30 ($25 for Museum and Boston Dance Alliance Members); $50 for VIP Seating and private post-performance reception with dancers and choreographer.
Refreshments will be served.
