Don't Want to Wake Up

Comments (0) By Chris Trenchard Wednesday, Nov 24 2010

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Assemblage artist and sculptor Sha Sha Higby’s performances are the stuff of opium dreams, like Where the Wild Things Are meets a Chinese New Year parade. Shape-shifting, embroidered, larger-than-life costumed agents move interpretively to the sounds of bells and props, as if an arts and crafts store were possessed by an otherworldly spirit still getting used to its new limbs and parts. Her latest show, “In Folds of Gold,” is the product of four years' worth of costume-crafting and manipulation, bringing to life visions that would normally require CGI technology. Says Higby: “The costumes and story come from a subconscious world. It builds and crescendos, so you feel like you’re feeling the turns of the season.” Her characters “dissolve” from one costume to another until she herself assumes her golden togs. Everything is handmade by Higby, but she invites audiences to take part in the auditory accompaniment with bells and other props ― in fact, she welcomes attendees to bring their own bells, too. We’ve all been there: Our imagination and curiosity made us build contraptions out of whatever we had lying around. Higby just never stopped.
Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m. Starts: Dec. 3. Continues through Dec. 11, 2010