THE STAR PROJECT

Heather Davis presents THE STAR PROJECTSATURDAY AUGUST 25 @ Dusk ~ garden opens 7pmFree / Voluntary donation $5Le Petit Versailles346 East Houston Street212 529 8815petitversailles@earthlink.netWhat happens to our vision of the world when we can no longer see the stars? When nothing transcends the skyscrapers? Or when we no longer feel the vast Otherness of the universe? The star project invites participants to an evening of lifting of the stars – through balloons – and to reflect on what stars mean to us. Participants and audience are invited to manipulate the stars to form our own constellations. By showing the connections between each of us (figured through the fishing line that connects the lights to balloons to the ground), the performance relies on cooperation and community to fulfill its goal. Through story telling we bring ourselves closer to our own realities and experiences, each other, and to the non-human world that surrounds us. We can also begin to re-imagine our urban environments and recreate a sense of wonderment within them. By performing at night, in a garden, these spaces are revealed as spaces of community, of collective gathering, and as sights of wonder and fright. The night reveals itself as magical and scary. We gather to illuminate the darkness, bring wonder and joy, and revel in the terror of the universe.The installation itself consists of two parts. One is a number of transparent balloons, with LED lights attached, reminding us of what we are missing. The second is a looped film of the stars and previous performances, with the compiled stories of stars superimposed on the images.LPV events are made possible by Allied Productions, Inc.,Citizens for NYC, Green Thumb/NYC Dept. of Parks, Materials for the Arts;,NYC Dept. of Cultural Affairs, NYC Dept. of Sanitation & NYC Board of EducationFilm & Exhibition support from The New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.Additional support, in part, by public funds from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs.