Sibyl Kempson: 12 Shouts to the Ten Forgotten Heavens: Fall Equinox

Floor One, Kenneth C. Griffin Hall, Pamella and Daniel DeVos Family Largo

This event is free and open to the public.

This performance will be staged on the front steps of the Museum, for passersby and museum visitors to bear witness. The third in a cycle of twelve rituals, this Shout will celebrate the upcoming autumnal equinox on September 22, 2016 at 10:21 am EDT. 

A central theme of this year’s autumnal Shout will be remembrance and respect for the death of things that can no longer be of benefit, in honor of the season of cutting and reaping. During the previous summer Shout, the audience planted sweetgrass, tobacco, and sage seeds, which grew over the past three months. The leaves of these plants have since been dried in order to be burned for the duration of the performance, and the smoke will convey thanks for the harvest. This ceremony will present contemplations on the mythical properties of the fire to be shared and celebrated.

A sacrifice rooted in our personal heritage will also take place during this time. All audience members who would like to participate should please bring a family heirloom plate or dish to be surrendered as an offering for this ceremony. (Please note: Due to the nature of a sacrifice, this plate or dish will not be returned and must relinquish its current form.)

Throughout the performance, museumgoers will be invited to record all ancestral memories—"everything you have not forgotten but have forgotten how to remember"—and to re-establish the presence of magic in their lives at specific kiosks inside the Lobby.

Performers:
Sibyl Kempson
Sarah Willis
Greta Hartenstein

Collaborators:
Suzanne Bocanegra: costumes
Amanda Villalobos: tree kiosks
Sahra Motalebi: dramaturgy

12 Shouts to the Ten Forgotten Heavens is a three-year iterative performance project by American playwright, director, and performer Sibyl Kempson with her theater company, 7 Daughters of Eve Thtr. & Perf. Co. Presented at the Whitney Museum on twelve occasions, 12 Shouts will mark each solstice and equinox occurring between March 2016 and December 2018 creating a new ceremonial calendar and a contemporary mythology.