Linnea West's Young Art Blog Reviews Merce Cunningham's 'Nearly Ninety'

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Art Ravels is a superb blog discovery, written and ‘produced’ by Linnea West, a self-described paper shuffler living in New York. I don’t quite buy her self-description, based on her digital presentation and YouTube channel.

I came backwards — more or less — to Art Ravels from the Wall Street Journal’s review of choreographer Merce Cunningham’s ‘Nearly Ninety’, an almost 90-minute dance created to celebrate the choreographer’s upcoming 90th birthday. ‘Nearly Ninety’ made is world premiere at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on Cunningham’s birthday, April 16.

WSJ’s A Legacy Defined by Moments of Chance describes Cunningham’s unique style, which reflects the lack of control that we have in our own lives. Reality is far more than what we make of it as individuals.

Merce Cunningham Dance Company in Nearly Ninety, photo by Stephanie BergerCunningham uses what he calls ‘chance procedures, meaning that the music and design of an individual work are created independently of the dance making.

Furthermore, in the creation of the choreography itself, Mr. Cunningham depends not on his own personal taste, but on outside determinants. For example, the throwing of dice consistently decides what will come next in the unfolding of his dances.

Elements in ‘Nearly Ninety’ include:

  • Benedetta Tagliabue’s self-standing, cock-eyed funnel of a tower looming in the background like some Constructivist skyscraper from 1920s Soviet Russia.
  • Franc Aleu’s oftentimes transparent and expansive video images honing in on the musicians or projecting films of water occurrences, stretches of vapor and such.
  • Brian MacDevitt’s changeable lighting lending color and further geometric accent to the surroundings.
  • Romeo Gigli’s blue and white costuming going through four stages.
  • Amplified ‘metallica’ music, followed by silence.

By now my own presentation process for content, sends me off to YouTube in search of video to enrich my own reporting — or summarizing. This is how I found Art Ravels, an excellent example of a new approach to ‘citizen-produced’ media.

In Linnea West’s own YouTube profile description: An offshot of my blog Art Ravels, these short videos, ‘Ravels In Motion’ productions, track my art adventures through Manhattan and beyond to museums, galleries, and where ever there is something cool to see. Enjoy, and for more aesthetic wanderings check out my website at www.artsravel.blogspot.com.

Here’s Linnea’s reporting on ‘Nearly Ninety’:

I’m personally fascinated by the concept of ‘collage writing’, which I do now … collecting multiple impressions of an event, or concept that combines words, photos, video and other digital ingredients.

For myself, I now find pure words and writing a less informative and texturally rich format. Frankly, it’s a bit boring.

In the case of WSJ’s review of Merce Cunningham’s ‘Nearly Ninety’, its literary value is enriched with Linnea’s video and brief commentary.

The frosting on the proverbial cake, is our meeting the talented Linnea West and her Art Ravels blog. West’s approach is an excellent example of young people establishing their own credentials and online following, using big media elements of self promotion.

I’m impressed. OK, Linnea. Exactly what kinds of paper do you shuffle? Aa quick Google check confirms that it will take me too long to find out, but I’m next on the lookout for Linnea on Facebook.

Enjoy. Anne