BRIC is pleased to present the world premiere of The Spinning Wheel, an explosive multimedia performance, along with an interactive gallery exhibition, by hip hop theater artist and musician Baba Israel. Created in collaboration with UK based director Leo Kay and musician Yako 440, The Spinning Wheel remixes and reinterprets the 50-year legacy of Israel's late father, steve ben israel (1938-2012), a political activist and member of The Living Theatre, an iconic, avant-garde theater group. Through spoken word, video, and live music, Baba Israel not only animates the radical, countercultural impulses of New York City during the 1960s and '70s, but also, lovingly pays tribute to his father.
steve ben israel was a New York jazz musician, poet, stand-up comic, political activist and core member of The
Living Theatre. Israel practiced what he called performance life and found his inspiration by bringing his politics and comedy into the streets, subways, and protests of New York. One of his stand out 'performance life' moments came when he escaped 1970's Brazil dressed as a woman and improvised his way through airport security to return to New York. Back home, he worked to organize the release of other members of The
Living Theatre who were still jailed in Brazil. His was a life committed to liberation.
steve ben israel passed away in 2012, leaving behind a legacy of 1960s countercultural work and artifacts, an enormous archive, and a son - New York Hip Hop theatre artist, Baba Israel. Drawing on his father's rich material for contextual inspiration and audio-visual content, Baba Israel relays fascinating and humorous stories of the past-using personal anecdotes of growing up on the road with his father to reframe the socio-political movements of the 1960s and '70s. Within The Spinning Wheel's trajectory, Israel shares how he discovered his own passion for performing and the important role theater and music can play in responding to challenging times and real-world issues.
The Spinning Wheel remixes past and present to explore human vulnerability and political integrity from the perspective of a son who both celebrates his father's life while still mourning his death. The show reunites both family members and, in doing so, inspires us to look to the generations before us-and be transformed by those legacies we inherit.
The creative team for The Spinning Wheel also includes dramaturg
Talvin Wilks and video artist Richard Ramchurn.
Performances of The Spinning Wheel will take place January 8-16 (see schedule above) at BRIC House, located at 647 Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn. Tickets are $15 in advance / $18 at the door and can be purchased by visiting BRICartsmedia.org or by calling OvationTix at
866.811.4111.
In conjunction with the January 8-16 performances, The Spinning Wheel will include a related exhibition of original posters, poetry and photography by steve ben israel, prints by renowned political activist and artist Eric Drooker, original stencil work and collage by Yako 440, and original posters and photographic prints from steve ben israel's time with the
Living Theatre in the 1960s and '70s. The exhibit features an interactive installation created by video artist Richard Ramchurn that uses wireless brain scanners to allow the visitor to subconsciously manipulate video content and take an intimate, one-of-a-kind journey through the archive material used in the creation of The Spinning Wheel performances, all while sitting inside a replica of steve ben israel's den. The exhibition is curated by Baba Israel and Yako 440 and runs January 9-29, with an opening reception taking place January 8 from 6-8pm.
Three large murals inspired by the poems of steve ben israel and created by artists Viajero, Cern and Yako 440 have been commissioned for the hallways of BRIC House and will use a combination of graffiti techniques and other materials.
This season of performing arts programs at BRIC House are supported through a generous grant from the Howard Gilman Foundation. The Spinning Wheel has been developed as part of BRIC's Fireworks Residency and commissioning program for collaborative teams of artists who are interested in developing new, large-scale multidisciplinary work that cross-or erase-artistic boundaries. It is supported in part by a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation's NYC Cultural Innovation Fund.
About BRIC
BRIC is the leading presenter of free cultural programming in Brooklyn, and one of the largest in New York City. The organization presents and incubates work by artists and media-makers that reflects the diversity of New York. BRIC programs reach hundreds of thousands of people each year.
BRIC's main venue, BRIC Arts |
Media House, offers a public media center, a major contemporary art exhibition space, two performance spaces, a glass-walled TV studio and artist work spaces.
Some of BRIC's most acclaimed programs include the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival in Prospect Park, several path-breaking public access media initiatives, including the newly renamed BRIC TV, and a renowned contemporary art exhibition series. BRIC also offers education and other vital programs at BRIC House and throughout Brooklyn.
In addition to making cultural programming genuinely accessible, BRIC is dedicated to providing substantial support to artists and media makers in their efforts to develop work and reach new audiences.
BRIC is unusual in both presenting exceptional cultural experiences and nurturing individual expression. This dual commitment enables BRIC to most effectively reflect New York City's innate cultural richness and diversity. Learn more at BRICartsmedia.org.
