Dorian Wood is distinguished for their profoundly inspiring and moving performances in their work to confront the systems that uphold the marginalization of communities. For Wood, their claimed identities are inseparable from their multidisciplinary portfolio of art. Whether it is through vocals, visual art, or illustrations, Wood is authentic at weaving their perspectives as a non-binary individual of Costa Rican and Nicaraguan descent into the soul of their work.
True to their practice of art that transcends past surface connection, Wood is creating a multi-channel sound piece in memoriam of loved ones lost in the recent years. Titled 20/21, Wood embraces the emotional tension of grief, and rawness of the human experience by incorporating sound clips of stories about past ones. I asked Wood a few questions about the creative insight that went into this project.
What are some ways that you have personally seen art aid in the process of grief?
I feel that in the past two years we have had to cope with grief as a sort of inescapable dimness. Art has become complex during this time. For me, it is no longer a place of escape or investigation, but something even more abstract in its function. I feel thrown into the extremes of not wanting to create at all, or creating non-stop out of habit, and occasionally, glimmers of inspiration and healing will emerge. I suppose it’s more about allowing things to happen now, rather than willing them into existence. That’s depression talk, I guess.
What kind of experience do you hope to impart on those contributing to the memorial compared to those listening as an audience?
Something I feel I still know for certain is the power of gathering with a purpose. I miss the days of performing in a room filled with people, and the high I would get from an experience we would all contribute to. My wish with 20/21 is to take that type of communal collaboration to a level that further transcends the intent of a singular performance without forsaking the preciousness of the moment, and create a type of elegy cloud that we can all experience and share as much as we wish to. This is my way of asking the powers that be to not see us as numbers or masses, but as individual universes holding spaces for ourselves, for each other, and eternal candles for those we no longer have with us on this plane.
Dorian Wood will be performing 20/21 at the Live Arts Exchange (LAX) Festival presented by the Los Angeles Performance Practice on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021. Tickets and more information are available here.
Elaine Nguyen is a recent graduate of USC with a focus in public relations and marketing. She is currently the 2021 Development Intern at Los Angeles Performance Practice.
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