Against the Grain — kym mcdaniel

Video Still from "Against the Grain" Projection

Photography of Levi Fisher Ames woodcarving.

Video Still from "Against the Grain" Projection

A black and white, found footage image, of a light-skinned child on a carousel. She tightly holds onto the center pole of her horse.

Photography from "Against the Grain" performance

A variety of light-skinned dancers in skin-tone matching costumes and horned headpieces are crouched on stage in a variety of gestures and squats.

Video still from "Against the Grain"

A close-up of a light-skinned dancer wearing skin-tone matching shirt and shorts. Her arms and fingers are curled inwards towards one another.

Dani Kuepper (choreographer and Danceworks Artistic Director), a light-skinned woman wearing a maroon sweater, Kym McDaniel (film), a light-skinned woman wearing a beige sweater and black beanie, and Edward Morgan (writer and director), a light-skinned man wearing black glasses and a grey shirt. They stand in a triangle in conversation.

Against the Grain

Video/Photography, 45min, 2018

Directed by Edward Morgan

Written by Edward Morgan & John Kishline

Choreography: Dani Kuepper in collaboration with Danceworks Performance Company

Video, Edit, Photography: Kym McDaniel

In this community collaboration with Theatre MXT and Danceworks Performance Company (MKE), I traveled to the John Michael Kohler Arts Center’s archive and photographed mythical sculptures realized by Wisconsin native, woodcarver, and war veteran, Levi Fisher Ames. Images of the sculptures were then woven alongside screendance and found footage for the multimedia projection. The final performance was part-theatrical, dance, and installation-based. The narrative of the work followed the challenges returning from war and consequential translation of memory, death, and sorrow into sculptural objects.

Danceworks Studio Theatre, Milwaukee WI

October 20, 21 / 25 - 28, 2018

John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan WI

November 9, 10, 2018