On the evening of February 7th 2025, I had the honor of attending Faye Driscoll’s Weathering, a multi-sensory thrill of a performance presented at the REDCAT. Described by Driscoll as an ‘evolving tableau of bodies, sounds, scents, liquids, and objects,’ the work transformed itself over and over again atop of a raft-like set designed by Jake Margolin and Nick Vaughan.
REDCAT – “Weathering” by Faye Driscoll – Photo by Angel Origgi – courtesy of REDCAT Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater.
Preceding the presence of any performer was a soundscape designed by Ryan Gamblin and Guillaume Soula. A surround sound chant of various body parts, “O’ fascia, O’ spine, O’ teeth” and so on. Performers enter and exit the space sporadically, dressed in casual clothing resembling what it might look like to pass by anyone on a crowded street. As tempo and sound accelerate, a sudden pause in the narrative of the work is reflected in complete stillness and utter silence. Performers James Barrett, Kara Brody, Miguel Alejandro Castillo, Amy Gernux, Maya LaLiberté, Mykel Marai Nairne, Jennifer Nugent, Cory Seals, Carlo Antonio Villanueva, and Jo Warren are atop the mattressesque raft that binds them to the center of the space.
REDCAT – “Weathering” by Faye Driscoll – Photo by Angel Origgi – courtesy of REDCAT Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater.
An almost somatic like experience happens before my eyes as the performers gradually shift from their frozen stance to an intertwined sculpture of body parts, clothing, fruit, and everyday objects. The work successfully portrayed the deconstruction of ideas over time as stage crew would frequently come in and turn the set around to see a different point of view of the flesh sculpture. The work carried a weighted sensuality as the performers undressed one another and began using their voices to create a soundscape of choreographed breathing and wailing. What began as a still image of dancers suddenly became a frenzied chase, a tornado of bodies and objects quite literally flailing through space.
REDCAT – “Weathering” by Faye Driscoll – Photo by Angel Origgi – courtesy of REDCAT Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater.
Driscoll’s work does not shy away from uncomfortability. The awkward silence, the strained physicality, the tension of relationships between performers. All of this makes Driscoll’s work relevant and relatable. The performer’s journey within Weathering is a clear display of the magnitude of time and its effects on the body. Almost as if someone were to come to a moment in life and ask themselves ‘how did I get here?’ although so much has happened to have brought forth that moment. I applaud the performers for their commitment to this piece as it must take great focus and mental endurance to perform it. The intensity that Driscolls’ work commands was met with the complexity of these ferocious performers. Weathering was a masterful piece of performance art, one that I wish I could see time and time again.
To learn more about Faye Driscoll, please visit her website.
For more information about REDCAT, please visit their website.
Written by Rebecca Lee for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: REDCAT – “Weathering” by Faye Driscoll – Photo by Angel Origgi – courtesy of REDCAT Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater.
