This series presents martial arts and self-defense from the perspective of prioritizing self-care and autonomy for bodies that are under attack – specifically black & brown, queer & trans bodies – and investigating the systems of power and violence that are in place. We present a series of performance art pieces, installations, and workshops that are inclusive, body-positive, and trauma-informed as a way to process these themes and strive toward empowerment.
High Concept Labs Fall Sponsored Artist, Marcela Torres with Stormé Legacy presents this series facilitated by Stormé Legacy collective members Alex Chen, Leila Elaqad, Diana Balitaan, and Myoko Leon. Stormé Legacy is a QTPOC (queer & trans people of color) martial arts collective that fosters an intersectional, trauma-informed, and anti-fascist culture of training.
IMPACT AND INTENT | SATURDAY DEC 1, 3-4PM
We invite folx to participate in this interactive installation where we use our bodies as drawing machines, a physical mechanism through which drawing is programmed, to document the impact of aggressive action and violent intent. Our drawing machine will be people moving through the space, moving through aggressive motions, with a combination of cameras and projectors re-visualizing our movement through creative processing. This will include a performance art piece featuring kali, a weapons-based Filipino martial art, and various forms of groundwork and grappling.
During this process we will prioritize everyone’s safety and participation is not required. There are countless avenues through which violence is either glorified (in the name of imperialism), ignored or covered up (in cases of domestic abuse), or excused as a natural balance of power (militarization of police). Our space will reveal violence and its impact in its bare, honest form in a critique of these abuses of power while uplifting respect for the people, our relationships, and the art forms we are using.
AGENTIC MODE: LONG FORM | SATURDAY DEC 1, 5-6PM
The combatant was not an isolated individual: his actions were taken on behalf of the nation, a hierarchical military establishment, and an intimate, interdependent pla- toon – this was what distinguished martial combat from murder. In civilian as well as in martial contexts, the power of such institutions was frequently used to legitimate brutal behavior; people slipped into an agentic mode and acted in ways they would otherwise find unacceptable.
– Joanna Bourke
Over the course of Torres’s Fall Sponsorship at High Concept Labs she has worked on the development of Agentic Mode a new body of work deconstructing the technical form and logic of Muay Thai (martial art) as a model to contemplate the mental space of fear that creates outputs of violence. This investigation combines the multifaceted nature of violence both as a socioeconomic structure forcing Black and Brown neighborhoods to compete for resources, as well as the influence of historical wars such as the Vietnam war and its ongoing legacy felt through the ephemera of Tiger Stripe Camouflage print.
This is an attempt to locate a root problem of why do we fight each other? Are there any tangible solutions to solve the tension that make us hate and hurt one another? What is the proper way of defending without becoming the aggressor? And who is under attack?
Agentic Mode: Long Form is a 45-minute movement performance that employs audial soundscapes, literature and oral history.
TRAUMA-INFORMED SELF-DEFENSE | SUNDAY DEC 2, 2-3PM
This self-defense workshop will focus on de-escalation and disengaging from dangerous situations using trauma-informed techniques that make it inclusive for women, queer, and trans folx.
ZEN BUDDHIST MEDITATION | SUNDAY DEC 2, 3:30-4:30PM
In Zen Buddhism, meditation provokes vigilance, spirituality, and self-discovery. This workshop will introduce concepts of Buddhism as it relates to martial arts and guide people through a meditation session.
ACCESSIBILITY INFO
HCL is ADA accessible via the entrance on the north side of Mana Contemporary Chicago. Enter the parking lot from the intersection of Allport and Cermak. The ADA parking and entrance will be to your right. There will be signage to help locate the ramp.
General parking is available on the east side of the Mana Contemporary Chicago building.