Reanimation (2013), the first major performance of artist Joan Joanas in Boston, was inspired by the novel Under the Glacier by Nobel Prize-winning Icelandic author Halldór Laxness. Jonas uses drawings, objects, closed-circuit video projections, choreographed actions, and music to create an icy, otherworldly atmosphere. Combining ancient and contemporary technologies— from tree branches and chalk as drawing tools, to live projections of her actions—Jonas' imagery is infused with a tension between the natural world and humankind's attempts to render it. Award-winning jazz pianist and New England Conservatory faculty member Jason Moran worked with Jonas to compose the score for the piece, which he will perform live. Jonas will represent the United States in the Venice Biennale of 2015, commissioned by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's List Visual Arts Center.
This event took place November 13, 2014.
Photo by Shane Godfrey