Kurogo me, togeTHer!
A Participatory Performance Art Piece by Izumi Ashikawa
[Performance Art “Kurogo Me, Together!”]
“Kurogo Me, Together!” is a participatory performance art piece. The audience is invited to make the performer “invisible” by putting the Kurogo costume pieces one by one until she is completely dressed in black. Following that act, 2 audiences are asked to come up to the stage, being transformed into “invisible” Kurogo by the fellow audience members.
At the end, the auditorium turns into an open discussion forum. Prompted by the 3 questions—
1)What did you see? 2) What did you experience? and 3) How did you interpret? The audience members talk about their embodied experience of erasing a person by dressing/ being erased by being dressed by someone else.
[Definition: Kurogo]
Kurogo is a figure on the stage dressed completely in black from head to toe in Japanese traditional theatre genres of Bunraku puppetry and Kabuki. In the Japanese theatrical code, Kurogo signifies “invisible”/ “ non-existent”, functioning to support the on-stage characters. In Bunraku, Kurogo animates puppets and handles props/set. In Kabuki, Kurogo mainly serves as a stagehand. In both of these 400-year-old Bunraku and Kabuki, women have not been permitted to perform professionally on the stage. Recently, Kurogo has been appropriated in the Western puppetry context as Kuroko in what they call “Bunraku-style” puppet works. The term "Kurogo" means "black garment"; the costume functions as a signifier of the wearer who is perceived as “invisible”/ “non-existent”.
[Kurogo garment that makes Ashizawa invisible and the meaning of mending it internally]
The Kurogo costume in the performance was originally owned/worn by the professional Japanese male Kurogo puppeteer/ actor who is a close friend of Ashizawa’s. She saved his worn-out costume before it was disposed of, and mended and adjusted it from the inside with the fabric pieces cut from the century-old Japanese funeral kimono owned by Ashizawa’s grandmother. As the number of “Kurogo Me, Together!” performances progresses (version 1.1 to 1.2 to 1.3, etc), the costume naturally deteriorates; each time, the added fabric pieces from her grandmother’s kimono will spread throughout the costume—maintaining the original with respect while reshaping/ recoding it from the inside to be more fitted to her body.
This live performance will be taking place at TeAda Productions:
6071 Comey Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90034
Saturday, March 14th - 3:30pm PST
If this event reaches capacity, we kindly ask that you email either jonny@teada.org to join the waitlist! Mahalo (thank you).
PUBLIC PERFORMANCE DATES
Tuesday, October 13 @ 6:30pm
KUROGO ME, TOGETHER! SHOW DATE
What: Kurogo Me, Together! (Live performance art piece.)
When: Tuesday, October 13 @ 6:30pm
TeAda Productions (Mid City)
TeAda Productions is a Los Angeles based non-profit theater of color rooted in the stories of immigrants and refugees. We are committed to healing and honoring the lives of the displaced, exploited and overlooked. Our artistic process starts and ends with conscious listening, community building, and creative courage. Through theater workshops and performances, TeAda offers acts of service that are transformative and impactful. For more information please visit www.teada.org