New eyes and ears on DESCENDED
With the same hallowed intimacy and wide-eyed wonder of ghost stories told around a campfire, DESCENDED depicts one woman’s discovery of the infinite dimensions she possesses, and her confrontation of the transformative power of death. DESCENDED insists that our reality is not just made up of what we can see and touch; rather, it is an amalgamation of the experiences of those who came before us, a connection to our own spiritual core, and of course, the horrifyingly, awesomely limitless possibilities of the unknown. Seeing the June 16th run-through of DESCENDED made me feel deliciously, metaphysically unsettled, horror-movie scared, and deeply connected to my own humanity as I realized that the existential questions I was confronted with in this performance are an essential part of the human experience, the shimmery intangible string that connects us to one another.
The multidisciplinary piece, which lives outside of conventional genre classification, was aptly described by performers Jean Laurenz, Maria Finkelmeier, and Greg Jukes as ‘chamber theater.’ This label perfectly acknowledges the way that all elements of composition, staging, film, performance, and visual effects contribute to the narrative.
I was moved by the musical structures that DESCENDED uses to tell its story. With a variety of percussion instruments, trumpet, accordion, and the human voice, DESCENDED builds up musical motifs to create air-tight grooves, which serve as firm foundations amid the mystical soundscape produced by electronics. The cyclical nature of the music emphasizes the inevitability of the narrative presented onstage, and when the grooves are deconstructed and broken down to singular repeated motives, I felt untethered and adrift – fully submerged into the world of the woman onstage experiencing a shift in her perception of reality.
Additionally, DESCENDED’s tactful staging made it a highly compelling performance. Visual effects, film clips, and some choreography were all used to drive the narrative, but these three elements were expertly paced so as to combine into one effective storytelling tool rather than draw focus unevenly. The economical use of a few highly symbolic props drew the audience into the world of DESCENDED while giving room for interpretation and the creation of personal metaphors.
Experiencing DESCENDED catalyzes a search for realities beyond the physical, and inspires a connection to the cyclical, spiritual dimensions that we all carry within ourselves. I am so excited to continue watching this project develop.
Artists Jean Laurenz, Greg Jukes, and Maria Finkelmeier with writer/intern Cait Winston and the student team of sound engineers and concert administrators from Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
