Farewell Rituals: Press Release

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FAREWELL RITUALS
A PERFORMANCE AND SMALL GALLERY INSTALLATION
BY BLAKE BECKHAM AND ADAM OVERTON

AT EYEDRUM ART AND MUSIC GALLERY, ATLANTA
PERFORMANCE: THURSDAY JULY 17, 2003 AT 8 PM
SMALL GALLERY INSTALLATION DATES: JULY 17 - AUGUST 2

On Thursday July 17th at 8 pm, dancer/choreographer Blake Beckham and sound artist Adam Overton will present an evening of Farewell Rituals at Eyedrum Art and Music Gallery in Atlanta. The event will consist of several rituals performed simultaneously by the two artists, as well as the installation of a “farewell shrine” in Eyedrum’s small gallery, which will be on exhibition until August 2nd. Beckham and Overton will be bidding the people of Atlanta farewell before they relocate in September to Ohio and California, respectively, and is intended as an homage to all of the amazing people here that have touched their lives. In addition, Beckham and Overton will also use this final performance to bid each other farewell.

Farewell Rituals, for Beckham, is about the exploration of the emotional states involved in farewell. In her physical investigation she asks: What do we have to let go of in order to make room for the present? How do we experience time, departure, loss and reckoning? Blake blends private, intimate rituals with elements that engage and include the audience. Using a combination of props and sheer physical presence, she creates poignant images that evolve and transform over the span of the performance. Adam Overton's performance will focus on the relationship between sound, breath, body and mind, as he engages in his first zazen (sitting-meditation) performance. Through ritual he will pay homage to the countless friends, family, teachers, acquaintances and strangers who have all been instrumental in shaping his life’s path.

Blake Beckham is a graduate of Emory University, where she earned a B.A. in English and Dance & Movement Studies. Blake was one of Emory's first dance majors, and became the first student to create an independent honors project in choreography. Upon graduating, she was honored with the University's Sudler Award for excellence in the arts and the Emory Dance Program's Pioneer Award. Blake has worked for the past two years as an Arts Administrator for Emory, while continuing an active career as a choreographer and performer. She has danced for Coriolis Dance Project, Duende Dance Theater, Moving in the Spirit, Gardenhouse Dance, and other artists including Anna Leo and Lori Teague. She is a founding member of the Nerve Series - a collective of risk-taking modern dance artists in Atlanta. Her choreography has been presented at a variety of venues. Beckham will attend The Ohio State University next fall, as a University Fellow, to pursue a Master of Fine Arts in Choreography.

Adam Overton is a musician and performance artist from Atlanta. Raised in Snellville, GA, he came to Atlanta to major in jazz drumset performance at Georgia State University where he studied with Jack Bell and Woody Williams. While there he also studied computer music and composition with Robert Scott Thompson. Overton has had the opportunity to compose and perform sound and music for a variety of situations including puppetry theatre, a planetarium exhibit, modern dance, sound installations, and performance art. In Winter 2002, he helped to found the Electric Arts Alliance of Atlanta (EAAA) and worked to develop a monthly Electric Arts forum at Eyedrum. This led to him joining the Eyedrum Board of Directors in Novermber 2002, and to the curation of The Atlanta Electric Arts Festival in November 2002, and of L’Objet Sonore, an international sound sculpture exhibition held at Eyedrum in January and February 2003. Last but not least, Overton plays drums in the rock band Moreland Audio. He will be leaving Atlanta for Valencia, California in September 2003 to study ‘Integrated Media’ at the California Institute of the Arts.

Opening Night Admission is $4.

Doors open at 7:45 pm; Performance begins at 8 pm
Gallery hours during the week: W, F, and Sat 12-5 pm

For more info about Eyedrum, or for directions:
http://www.eyedrum.org --- or --- http://www.eyedrum.org/map.asp
Eyedrum --- Suite 8, 290 MLK, Jr. DR, Atlanta, GA 30312

This program is supported in part by the City of Atlanta Bureau of Cultural Affairs.

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