This event is copresented with the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) as part of the Crossing the Line Festival 2015 and the New Museum R&D Season: PERSONA.
American writer, choreographer, and director Jack Ferver and American visual artist Marc Swanson take Jean Genet’s The Maids as a point of departure for a farcical and haunting attack on our culture of celebrity and greed. Ferver refracts Genet through many lenses, including the gruesome facts of the real-life murders that inspired The Maids; Lady Gaga’s infamous courtroom deposition speech; role-play; and a manic fantasy escape to the City of Lights.

Swanson’s mythic and evocative sculptures—on view as an installation during museum hours—function as both freestanding artworks and a theatrical set. Ferver is joined by performers Jacob Slominski and Michelle Mola in an exquisite and outrageous performance that asks not how such a violent thing could have happened, but why things like this don’t happen more often.

Written and choreographed by Jack Ferver
Installation by Marc Swanson
Performed by Jack Ferver, Michelle Mola, and Jacob Slominski
Costumes by Reid Bartelme
Music and Sound Installation by Roarke Menzies

Installation
September 23–October 4, 2015
Wednesdays, 11 AM–6 PM
Thursdays, 11 AM–9 PM
Fridays–Sundays, 11 AM–6 PM
*Except during performances or when the exhibition is closed for private events

Performances
Thursday September 24, 7 PM
Friday September 25, 7 PM
Saturday September 26, 3 PM
Sunday September 27, 3 PM
Thursday October 1, 7 PM
Friday October 2, 7 PM
Saturday October 3, 3 PM
Sunday October 4, 3 PM

Crossing the Line is the French Institute Alliance Française’s (FIAF) annual fall festival in New York presenting interdisciplinary works and performances created by artists from around the world. The festival provides opportunities for New Yorkers to explore the dialogue between artists and participants, examine how artists help re-imagine the world, and engage in the vital role artists play as critical thinkers and catalysts for social evolution. Crossing the Line is initiated and produced by FIAF in partnership with leading cultural institutions.

Chambre is organized on behalf of the New Museum by Johanna Burton, Keith Haring Director and Curator of Education and Public Engagement, and Travis Chamberlain, Associate Curator of Performance and Manager of Public Programs.