May 26-June 2, 2022 // Stomping Ground
Cyber Forest
Cyber Forest inspires hope despite a seemingly inescapable catastrophe by envisioning alternative futures. The proposed work addresses the tension between individualism and community, and its impact on the environment. Cyber Forest will be a cyberpunk forest installation and a performance by otherworldly beings. They are genderless, faceless monsters, with latex flesh and contrasting light emitting from their bodies. These mythical figures evoke both fear and attraction; their vocalizations are both operatic and cacophonous.
During our residency, we worked with our frequent collaborators, Tetiana Sklyarova and Kayla Aguila, to begin to choreograph and shape the narrative of the monsters, creating a communal experience in the performance and in practice. Together we laid the foundation for Cyber Forest, exploring how movement can be used to clearly illustrate these complicated topics to the audience. We talked about our perceptions of trees and ways they might communicate. We also began researching ways in which the environment has mutated and adapted to the effects of climate change. The culmination of this research will be a musical performance and installation.
We are interested in how monsters are a metaphor for expressing social problems and are an articulation of cultural anxieties. Through our research, we ask how do we create mythologies and how can we use these techniques to build new futures in a time of seemingly inalterable determination?
More information about our R+D Program HERE
About Beck+Col:
Beck+Col are a Los Angeles based artist duo who have been working exclusively in collaboration since 2014.
Beck+Col have performed at numerous venues including the Hammer Museum, REDCAT, and JOAN Los Angeles. They have had multiple solo exhibitions at Human Resources and their work has been exhibited worldwide including the Royal College of Music in Sweden, Colección AMALITA in Buenos Aires and at Biquini WAX EPS in Mexico City. Beck+Col have received multiple FCA grants and were nominated for a Rema Hort Mann Emerging artist grant in 2019. They have been invited to host art education workshops and lectures with the Hammer Museum, the Craft Contemporary Museum,18th Street Art Center and the City of Santa Monica. In Spring of 2020, Beck+Col were the artists in residence for the San Diego International Airport Performing Arts Residency and represented LACE at the Art Los Angeles Contemporary fair. They are also the cohosts of ART TALK Talk talk, created while Beck+Col were in residency at UNLV in 2021.
Beck received an MFA from CalArts in 2019 and Collin received an MFA from CSULA in 2014.