I cannot not grieve: CRY SCREAM SHOUT SING
Public Art
I cannot not grieve: CRY SCREAM SHOUT SING
i cannot not grieve: CRY SCREAM SHOUT SING, is a performance by multidisciplinary artist Freya Powell that draws upon the Sophoclean character of Elektra and a Greek chorus to recognize the experience of ambiguous loss as a means to counter the statistic-based records of the COVID-19 pandemic.
When & Where
Friday, September 8, 2023
Elmhurst Hospital
Saturday, September 9, 2023
Central Park, East Meadow, Manhattan
Sunday, September 10, 2023
The Green-Wood Cemetery, Historic Chapel, Brooklyn, NY
Freya Powell, i cannot not grieve: CRY SCREAM SHOUT SING, 2023. Performance at Green-Wood Cemetery, Historic Chapel. Photo by Walter Wlodarczyk.
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About the artist
Freya Powell, i cannot not grieve: CRY SCREAM SHOUT SING, 2023. Performance at Green-Wood Cemetery, Historic Chapel. Photo by Walter Wlodarczyk.
i cannot not grieve: CRY SCREAM SHOUT SING, is a performance by multidisciplinary artist Freya Powell that draws upon the Sophoclean character of Elektra and a Greek chorus to recognize the experience of ambiguous loss as a means to counter the statistic-based records of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The performance addresses the permanent state of grieving we have been living in since the start of the pandemic. Exploring the voice as the medium this piece tests pitch, tone, pacing, and silence from operatic singing to theatrical utterances. Through varied public expressions of grief (crying, screaming, shouting, and singing) this performance will shroud the listener in an exploration of these outward bodily utterances.
Three performances of i cannot grieve took place throughout New York City in 2023. The East Meadow at Central Park was chosen for its significance as the the site of a field hospital during the COVID-19 Pandemic, while The Elmhurst Hospital was regarded as the Coronavirus “Ground Zero.” The Elmhurst Hospital performance was a limited-audience event presented in partnership with NYC Health + Hospitals’ Helping Healers Heal (H3) staff support program. H3, is a peer-to-peer staff support program aiming to address the emotional and psychological needs of healthcare workers. It is the foundational infrastructure for enhanced Wellness programming across all service lines of NYC Health + Hospitals. The goal of H3 is to provide all staff members the opportunity to discuss difficult and rarely conversed about experiences that employees face on a daily basis allowing them to bring their entire selves to work and feel comfortable doing so.
Freya Powell
Freya Powell uses time-based and linguistic platforms to explore language and its relationship to memory, myth, and history. Her work has been exhibited in solo shows at Art in General, Brooklyn, NY (2017), Herron School of Art, Indianapolis, IN (2017), and Arts Santa Monica, Barcelona, Spain (2014.) She has participated in group shows at institutions including EFA Project Space, New York, NY, Queens Museum, Corona, NY, Socrates Sculpture Park, Long Island City, NY, #1 Cartagena: the First International Biennale of Art, Cartagena de India, Colombia, and the Bronx Museum, Bronx, NY, among others. Her work is in the collections of the New York Public Library; the Joan Flasch Artists’ Book Collection; and the Franklin Furnace Archive. Most recently she was awarded a development residency at MoMA PS1 and a New Work Grant from the Queens Council on the Arts (2019). Powell holds an MFA from Hunter College, New York, NY.
Freya Powell, I cannot not grieve: CRY SCREAM SHOUT SING, performance at Green-Wood Cemetery, 2023.
Freya Powell, i cannot not grieve: CRY SCREAM SHOUT SING, 2023. Performance at Green-Wood Cemetery, Historic Chapel. Photo by Walter Wlodarczyk.
Freya Powell, i cannot not grieve: CRY SCREAM SHOUT SING, 2023. Performance at Green-Wood Cemetery, Historic Chapel. Photo by Walter Wlodarczyk.
Freya Powell, i cannot not grieve: CRY SCREAM SHOUT SING, 2023. Performance at Green-Wood Cemetery, Historic Chapel. Photo by Walter Wlodarczyk.
Freya Powell, i cannot not grieve: CRY SCREAM SHOUT SING, 2023. Performance at Green-Wood Cemetery, Historic Chapel. Photo by Walter Wlodarczyk.
Freya Powell, i cannot not grieve: CRY SCREAM SHOUT SING, 2023. Performance at Green-Wood Cemetery, Historic Chapel. Photo by Walter Wlodarczyk.
Freya Powell, i cannot not grieve: CRY SCREAM SHOUT SING, 2023. Performance at Green-Wood Cemetery, Historic Chapel. Photo by Walter Wlodarczyk.
Freya Powell, i cannot not grieve: CRY SCREAM SHOUT SING, 2023. Performance at Central Park. Photo by Wenjun Chen.
Freya Powell, i cannot not grieve: CRY SCREAM SHOUT SING, 2023. Performance at Central Park. Photo by Wenjun Chen.
Freya Powell, i cannot not grieve: CRY SCREAM SHOUT SING, 2023. Performance at Central Park. Photo by Wenjun Chen.
Freya Powell, i cannot not grieve: CRY SCREAM SHOUT SING, 2023. Performance at Central Park. Photo by Wenjun Chen.
Freya Powell, i cannot not grieve: CRY SCREAM SHOUT SING, 2023. Performance at Central Park. Photo by Wenjun Chen.
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Supporters & Partners
Performers:
Cat Grey
Joy Tamayo
Allison Gish
Sophie Delphis
Karina Parker-Mura
Natasha Walfall
Shanna Iglesias
Cassandra DeMarco
Costume Designer:
Liz Altmann
Choral Director:
Samuel Lang Budin
Photo credit:
Walter Wlodarczyk
I cannot not grieve: CRY SCREAM SHOUT SING is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. The September 10th presentation of this performance series is in partnership with The Green-Wood Cemetery.
Related
Readings
Freya Powell: Recovering Lives Lost and Giving Voice to the Silenced
An interview with Freya Powell —“Ambiguous loss has been a huge part of the pandemic. So many people have lost loved ones — they just disappeared from our lives, we haven’t been able to gather to properly mourn these losses.”
Announcement
Announcing our 2021 Engaging Artist Fellows and Artist-in-Residence
We are excited to announce the 2021 Engaging Artists (EA) cohort!