Degenerate Art Ensemble's SKELETON FLOWER

Preview video created by Ian Lee Lucero for On The Boards TV

The Predator’s Songstress is a series of multi-disciplinary, site-transforming portraits revealing the stories of six invented anti-heroines inspired by historical, mythical and contemporary women. This work aims to redefine what a portrait can be­, approaching the subjects through multiple interpretations set in an immersive environment including theatrical dance, diorama, video portraiture and live music developed by DAE’s team of artists and artisans. The inner world of these characters is explored through emotive song, visceral dance, physical theatricality and through DAE’s punk-comedy-horror sensibility and audience interaction. Large format video portraits explore the iconography of each character. Sculptural dioramas created in collaboration with the innovative firm Olson Kundig Architects incapsulate the world the characters inhabit. Animation pieces tell their stories. These elements are bound together in an environment infused with live, post-genre music for strings, electronics and idiosyncratic voice. Predator's Songstress is supported by Creative Capital and a fellowship from the Guggenheim Foundation.

Portrait of Haruko Nishimura from Seattle Channel's show Verve. http://www.degenerateartensemble.com/

DAE's sonic tales was performed at the Moore Theatre in Seattle in October of 2009. Performers included Haruko Nishimura, Trinidad Martinez, Marissa Niederhauser, Joshua Kohl and Jeffrey Huston. Video by Leo Mayberry, Light Design by Rainer Groenhagen, set design by Jennifer Zeyl, costumes by Christine Tschirgi, Mandy Greer, Candice Frank, Anna Lange and Jeni Faldine.