photography above by Pavel Antonov
a triumphant art procession
DUMBO ARTS FESTIVAL 2013
Lead performance and design by Andrey Bartenev
Directed by Mei Ann Teo
Executive Producer Sonia Kozlova
presented by association of Unicycle Productions LLC & re:artiste
<= full credits
“Our need to be happy and our dreams of love are the basis for the existence of human race and the most delicate connection between all beings. The importance of happiness is above religion, politics, social agendas or economic needs. Seeking our happiness collectively and focusing on the dreams of others helps us meet our own. Bubbles of Hope is a ritual, a collective meditative act, which can strengthen our own abilities to dream, to hope and to fulfill our own personal goals. Together we are stronger, and our hopes and dreams are bigger.” Andrey Bartenev
Thousands of people followed us during the procession at DUMBO on a sunny Saturday afternoon, September 28th, over a hundred volunteers worked with us as artists, musicians, organizers. It was a massive public action!
video by MasarTV
video by Aleksey Nuzhnov
PRESS:
DUMBO Arts Festival: Arts from many cultures, and zany fun | Brooklyn Daily Eagle
a report by RTVi’s “Russian Accent” by Elena Mescheryakova on how it works (available in in Russian only)
ABOUT ANDREY BARTENEV: a Russian artist, sculptor, experimentalist, and creator of many provocative, interactive performances and installations. Any attempts to describe Bartenev’s work in the boundaries of a certain field—be it sculpture, theater, or fashion—are doomed to fail. The artist operates in an interdisciplinary space. “Art for me is a single current,” Bartenev says, “and I don’t care what forms it takes.” Bartenev creates absurd, whimsical, racy, provocative, carnivalesque fantasias. They are inspired by the mythology of Pop art, by the mythology of film, by the dreams of children, by anime…
Since 2002 Andrey Bartenev has been a regular contributor to Robert Wilson’s Watermill Center, his work represented Russia at 52nd Venice Biennale (2007), Hermitage (Russia); William de Kooning Foundation (New York); Pinakothek der modern (Germany); Moscow Museum Of Modern Art (Russia); Royal Academy of Arts ( UK); The State Tretyakov Gallery (Russia); Royal Festival Hall London (UK); Kunsthalle, Baden-Baden, Germany; Victoria & Albert Theatre Museum, London, UK. National gallery of art (Lithuania); Art Basel-Miami Beach International Art Fair (USA); Arteleku Art Center (Spain); Vitra Design Museum, Boisbuchet (France); Cultural Center Kampnagel (Germany); National Arts Club (USA); DonauFestival (Austria). Andrey Bartenev is currently staging the exhibition “Treasures in The Royal Library” at the Danish Royal Library in Copenhagen which runs through 2015.
“Bartenev’s performance art is at the forefront of the Russian artistic avant-garde. He’s the Damien Hirst of the Arctic Circle…” – The Independent
“…magical installation costumes that recalled Russian constructivism,” The New York Times
“Walking pop-art thunderer” and “Great eccentric, the hero of the cartoonists,” Vogue Russia
“Bartenev’s performance art is at the forefront of the Russian artistic avant-garde. He’s the Damlen Hirst of the Arctic Circle…Not a single British performance artist has achieved a reputation matching this sensational artist…,” The Independent
“The most extravagant exhibitions of Venice Biennale 2007” Visionary magazine
“Oscar Schlemmer meets Rodchenko…” Brian Eno on Andrey’s costumes in his book “The Year With Swollen Appendices”
“Freak of the Year, 2007,” Russian GQ in the “Russia’s 100 Most Stylish People” issue, featured on the same page as Mikhail Baryshnikov.
ABOUT DIRECTOR:
Mei Ann Teo is a Singaporean theatre/film maker currently based in New York. Her professional work has toured the U.S. and international festivals including Belgium’s Festival de Liege (Lyrics From Lockdown, “Truly polished, meaningful and entertaining” – NY Times), M1 Singapore Fringe Festival, Edinburgh International Fringe (MiddleFlight, “Stunning” – Scotsman), INFANT Experimental Theatre Festival in Novi Sad, Serbia, Edmonton Fringe Festival, and the Montreal World Film Festival (Not Here). She has worked with The Public Theater, Berkeley Rep, Theatre of Yugen, Crowded Fire, and the Bay Area Playwrights Festival. She is the artistic director of The Wandering Fools, whose inaugural production, Caucasian Chalk Circle, is an official selection at the Shanghai International Experimental Theatre Festival (Oct 2013). For 7 years, she was the Resident Artist/Chair of Drama at Pacific Union College where she founded a program focused on original ensemble creation.
ABOUT the MUSICIANS:
Trio TBD is an Avant Garde jazz trio in the loosest sense of the word. Consisting of trombonist David Whitwell, tubist Chad Walther, and percussionist Joe Tucker, Trio TBD looks to expand both the sonic palette of their chosen idiom and each individual’s own instrumental color, and has been systematically altering, destroying, offending, and otherwise messing with everything from Miles Davis to Hildegard Von Bingen to John Cage, to their own original works. Coming from the unique backgrounds of both a classical upbringing and extensive contemporary experience, coupled with a healthy dose of big band and rock sensibilities, Trio TBD looks to synergistically redefine what it is to be a contemporary ensemble, and maybe have a little fun on the way.
Trio TBD Mobility Project
The Trio TBD Mobility Project is the brain child of drummer Joe Tucker. Coming from a marching backgrounds (read: grew up in the Midwest and Texas), the trio has taken it’s avant garde jazz theory to the streets. With the help of trumpeter Dan Levine and percussionist Fred Trumpy, Trio TBD hopes to shake up, distort, and otherwise reinvent yet another hallmark of traditional American music.