Emily Harvey Gallery
537 Broadway at Spring
New York NY 10012
tel: 212 925 7651 fax: 212 966 0439
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jonas Mekas & Emily Harvey Present:
Emmett Williams, Fluxus artist and poet, will give a rare American
performance of his “building poem”, ‘The Boy and the Bird’.
The piece consists of twenty-one nouns, nine candles, and ninety
slides. The text was written by the artist in 1969. It takes 45
minutes to perform.
As the piece expands with the gradual introduction of the nouns,
the moving shadows cast by the progressive lighting of the
candles allow the listener to conjure their own personal imagery
from the forms in the shadows surrounding the artist. The fluid
metamorphosis of words and shadows are accompanied by the
ninety projected images. These images “follow the structural
development”, according to Williams, “but correspond only
incidentally, or accidentally, to the text.”
As Emmett himself said of ‘The Boy and the Bird’ – “What I have in
mind is an interpretative free-for-all on the part of the performer,
utilizing all his vocal skills, including real laughter, and real tears.
At Anthology Film Archives, NYC
32 Second Avenue (SE corner 2nd Street)
212 505 5181
For Information and reservations call Emily Harvey Gallery
212 925 7651
