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Exploring ‘the color of emotion’

Posted on October 9, 2018 by Sonoma Valley Sun
International artists Olga de la Iglesia and Anna Senno
International artists Olga de la Iglesia and Anna Senno

An interactive art performance that connects colors to places and emotions — specifically those triggered by the trauma and loss of last October — comes to the Sonoma Valley this weekend. The “Color of Emotion,” created by Olga de la Iglesia and Anna Senno, offers a healing and transformative experience.

On an international tour, the piece is part of Sonoma Ecology Center’s event series focused on the anniversary of the October 2017 fires. The event is free of charge and open to all.

“We are bringing ‘The Color of Emotion’ to Sonoma Valley because of how emotionally charged the fires were”, said Garland Lamb of SEC.

Both hosts and artists see the experience as an immersive form art therapy. “Not only has this performance has been cathartic in other communities, it’s a way to build a tradition of art in Sonoma Garden Park, as well as Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, which the SEC stewards as a place of connecting and healing,” Lamb said.

‘Color’ will tour cities around the world, so far New York and Copenhagen, with upcoming performances in Cairo, Casablanca, Kashmir, Barcelona, Stockholm, Paris and Mexico City – will be coming to Sonoma in early October.

“Each performance challenges us to let down our barriers and question who we are,” said Olga de la Igiesia of the experience. “Anna and I engage in conversations with each other and the participants, which are at times brutally honest and self revealing”,

The Color of Emotion 2

At each location, the colors used in the piece are locally sourced and selected through an investigation of their cultural meanings and associations in that place. The artists then use those colors as a medium to explore emotional identity.

“I recently met Anna Senno in Paris and learned about her work, while she learned from me about last year’s fires,” explained Kim Jones SEC. “In the process we both became inspired by the idea of developing a color palette sourced from the burnt and recovering landscape.”

The first part of their residency will be devoted to developing the color palette. The interactive performance will follow on Oct. 13, taking place throughout the day as the Garden Park is transformed into a live canvas. White clothes will be set out in a circle, along with six pots of paint. Each color is associated with a different emotion – joy, sadness, anger, acceptance, disgust and fear – and participants are asked to paint themselves using those colors.

At the end, a filmed conversation is held between the artists and the participants, who share the stories behind their emotions and choice of colors. A 25-minute film will be produced using that footage.

“Olga and I discovered through this performance that we share practically the same childhood trauma”, added Anna Senno. “It deeply affects who we are and drives us to do this project. What we absorb from the performances is the emotionally charged baggage of participants, which we carry with us, but that at the same time helps us heal”.

The Color of Emotion: Sonoma Garden Park, 19996 7th St. East, Sonoma. Oct. 13, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 3 p.m.-6 p.m. https://colorofemotionsgp.brownpapertickets.com

The Color of Emotion: Sugarloaf Ridge State Park Oct. 14, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. https://colorofemotionslr.brownpapertickets.com

 

Photo credit: Olga de la Iglesia




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