What You See Isn't Always What You Expected To Get - House of Larva

By -
When I walked into class and saw the three guest speakers, I knew I made the right decision to get to class that day. The House of Larva is a drag show that is intended to engage all of the senses. In class we did a few things that were much more about touch and smell. However, my favorite part was the real show that evening. The dramatic costumes and images and lighting are what made the entire experience so memorable.
The costume I remember the most was that of Anfanga Sphinx (my apologies if that is spelled wrong). The costume had no real organization to it but it immediately drew your attention. There was torn cloth, glitter, something that resembled flour, a marker, and cloth strategically stuck to cover the nipples. The look made a bold statement, which I am sure was the intention.
A statement I'm sure it wasn't planning to make but did an excellent job of doing so was to the young men who were clearly out of their element at this show. They had a bit of trouble figuring out the appropriate way to react to what they were experiencing. Due to what has become their expectation of societal and gender norms, seeing Sphinx be so open and comfortable with their body and the costume was new for them. So, Sphinx took it upon themselves to make sure these young men got to full and up close experience with the show. Which in the long run, I believe will help them with being exposed to these types of things again and again throughout their lives.

Comments

  1. Jonathan Brumberg-KrausMay 11, 2018 at 6:36 AM

    Glad you picked up on Enfanga [pretty close on the spelling!] Sphinx's performance. And glad you took full advantage of all House of Larva offered.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jonathan Brumberg-KrausMay 11, 2018 at 6:36 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Amidst the Pandemic

By -
Image
I think having the opportunity to take Smells and Bells and then experiencing a worldwide pandemic came with good timing. Oftentimes, we’re so rushed to get from one one place to another that we miss out on what happens around us. We’re so accustomed to the lifestyle of being busy that it has become the norm for many of us. However, the pandemic has forced us to slow down. We’re now appreciating everything that we had previously taken for granted and noticing things in our surroundings that we have never noticed before.  Take this quarantining/social distancing as an opportunity to be more aware of what you experience through the senses. I don’t think my senses have necessarily heightened over the past 5 weeks, but I am actively making the choice to pay more attention to what I see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. I like going on nature/mindfulness walks and basking in the sunshine out in my backyard. This morning, I could hear a faint noise from the wind, hear the birds chirpin...
Read more

Food in the Afterlife

By -
Image
In Religion in the Kitchen: Cooking, Talking, and the Making of Black Atlantic Traditions , Perez talks of Ashabi and her grandchildren providing food offerings to their ancestors. This immediately reminded me of the practice of food sacrifice in early China. I've taken Chinese language classes for about 7 years now and in one of the lessons, we learned about food as well as the history of food in Chinese culture. Ashabi and her grandchildren would give food offerings to their ancestors every day. This included nine beverages (coffee, liquor, and water mixed with sugar and molasses) and nine square pieces of coconut topped with red palm oil and guinea pepper. The offerings would also include whatever food was dropped on the ground. In their house, food dropping on the floor signified more than it would in common American households. It signified that the ancestors wanted that food and had willingly made it fall to the floor. They also used dishware that had been chipped which was...
Read more