Meredith Monk - Ascension Variations @ Guggenheim Museum

Epic, I suppose. The whole time that I was there it all seemed very normal but I had to remind myself that I had never been to a performance remotely resembling this. It was staged at the Guggenheim Museum, which, if you have not been, is a round, upwardly spiraling space designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Meredith Monk first performed in the space forty years ago, and used aspects of that performance "Juice" in last night's show.

I am a great fan of Monk's vocal records, especially those recorded in the eighties. This was my first time seeing her perform, and it was amazing. When I have seen some other, established performers, it is a little sad that they are still doing the same thing as 20+ years ago. The Ascension Variations had both old and new elements, and both old and new performers. There were perhaps close to one hundred performers in all!

Walking in, there were some cushions on the floor, with ledges where the elderly were perched. I didn't notice at the time, but thinking about it now I was probably one of the youngest people there - not that it matters, I like going to shows with older peoples, especially when they have avant-garde fashion!

The stage was in constant motion, and rarely at any one fixed point. There were multiple casts, generally designated by the color of their clothing. The main vocalists were in dark red, (contrasted by a desert caterpillar foursome in bright red) and a quartet of musicians in gray. There were dancers, a chorus, and three women representing perhaps three elements of the female. To us on the floor they sang and danced and wound their way up to the top. The amplification was subtle, very well-done, and really just gave me chills as the sound moved through me. After this portion was a break (but you were not allowed outside except to leave) and all the performers set themselves up dancing or singing, amidst the art all throughout the galleries. Being a round space, there are many wall panels set up for mounting flat works upon. Some were behind, moving in and out, and interacting with the art, but ultimately they were presented as works of art themselves. The audience was invited to move through the galleries, and "shift perspective." When I walked past Ms. Monk, I watched a museum guard pulled her away and through a side exit. I made my way to the very top, and looked down to see Monk set up in the center with a light upon, legs splayed out playing a small squeezebox and singing. She is eventually joined by the other performers, save the chorus, who, dressed in white, are interspersed among the audience all hanging over the edge of the spiral. Looking down I see hands on many railings below. It ends with the performers all laid on their backs.

There was so much more, phenomenal was the only word that came to my mind when it was over.