Exploring The ‘Social Fabric’

Interdisciplinary artist Andrea Cote and choreographer Ann Robideaux will activate the Guild Hall Minikes Garden on Saturday, October 2, from 7 to 8 p.m. with the performative event “Social Fabric: In the Public Square,, creating a place to casually drop in amid a video installation accompanied by live sound by Chris Jones, and curated by Christina Mossiades Strassfield, Guild Hall’s museum director and chief curator.

The project explores how people embody personal and communal movement languages, through containment and connection in domestic and public spheres. The artists invited both professional dancers and recreational movers to explore movement inside 6-foot square sheets delineated with geometric forms and cosmological patterns. As they occupy this present liminal zone, the artists create a place for visitors to inhabit that is at once intimate and communal.

“Ann and I collaborated on a performance several years back for the Jackson Pollock Centennial Celebration, ‘BodySite,’ and we’re excited to be working together again, this time bringing other performers into the project,” says Andrea Cote. “We began by exploring how our bodies navigated within a 6-foot space. As a score developed within this delineated structure, we invited friends into the work, and improvisation was encouraged. We’ve found that within this time of social isolation, there is such a strong pull towards connection.”

Andrea Cote is an interdisciplinary artist living in Hampton Bays, passionate about building community and collaboration through the arts. She was an early member of the dance and drumming collective Public Urban Ritual Experiment (PURE) in New York City. Solo performance works have been presented at The Watermill Center, The Neuberger Museum, The Philadelphia Fringe Festival, The Peekskill Project, Chashama, The Dumbo Arts Festival, and Photo Buenos Aires.

Ann Robideaux is a choreographer, movement educator and producer. Currently a co-director of the Outlet Dance Festival at the Grounds for Sculpture in New Jersey, she is also presently involved with creating new dance films and choreographing commercially for projects from musical theater and gymnastic floor routines.

Chris Jones is a composer and sound designer for television and film based in the Hamptons. He began his performance career playing electric bass with jazz drummer Jim Chapin at age 16. Jones attended Long Island University Post, followed by studies at Berklee College of Music. While majoring in Berklee’s prestigious Film Scoring program, Jones also remained active as a performer playing in bluegrass, top 40, country, and African drumming ensembles.

The program is free of charge and reservations are not required. Attendees are welcome to stop by and take in the visual environment and ongoing performance. Guild Hall is at 158 Main Street, East Hampton. For details visit guildhall.org.