On the occasion of her exhibition, Alina Tenser has invited choreographers Juli Brandano and Amelia Koper Heintzelman to activate her "Parentheses" body of work in an open rehearsal at HESSE FLATOW on March 17, from 2 to 5:30pm, according to the following guidelines:
- Parentheses are always in pairs.
- Each arched form is in relationship to itself, its reflection, and the parenthetical space in between.
- Parentheses are mobile and therefore any information they hold is nomadic.
- Parentheses move in paths that are traceable but not permanent.
- Parentheses are in relationship to each other and to the space they temporarily hold.
- Parenthetical space can balloon out ambiguously and shrink to a tangible nucleus.
- Parenthesis use rotation as the most familial movement.
Alina Tenser is a Ukrainian-born artist working across sculpture, video, performance, and interactive engagement. Her process is driven by an exploration of form in relation to affordances, which are the physical characteristics that define the function of an object, or allow one’s body a connection with an object. Tenser's interest in affordances emerged from thinking about resourcefulness as a creative force—a sentiment propelled by her experiences of being an immigrant, one of observing, misunderstanding, and reinterpreting. Tenser is currently an Assistant Professor at SUNY Purchase College. Tenser’s recent solo exhibitions include Hesse Flatow, New York, NY; 17Essex, New York, NY, Konstepidemin, Gothenburg, SE;Soloway Gallery, Brooklyn, NY; AIR, New York, NY; Nurture Art, Brooklyn, NY; and Pioneer Works, Brooklyn, NY. Her work has been widely reviewed and written about in publications such as The New York Times, The New Yorker Magazine, Art Forum, Bomb magazine, Cultured Magazine, Hyperallergic, The Brooklyn Rail, and The Third Rail. She has participated in multiple artist residencies, most notably The Queens Museum Studio Program and Recess Activities. She recently completed a residency at Interlude, Hudson, NY.
Juli Brandano is a dancer and choreographer based in Brooklyn, NY. Her choreographic work has been presented by Brooklyn Arts Exchange, New Dance Alliance, SCDT and Movement Research at Judson Church, and she was a 2020 Lighthouse Works Fellow on Fishers Island. As a performer, she has collaborated with Phoebe Berglund, Ayano Elson, Jessica Cook, Amelia Heintzelman, Cally Spooner, and Alexandra Pirici. She is the editor of SCORED, a recurring publication of performance scores and dance writing.
Amelia Koper Heintzelman is a dancer and choreographer based in New York City. Amelia has been an Artist-in-Residence at Chashama ChaNorth, Chez Bushwick, The Floor, School for Contemporary Dance and Thought, a Fellow at University Settlement, and Associate Artist studying under Deborah Hay at Atlantic Center for the Arts. Her work has been presented at Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, OH; Lubov Gallery, New York, NY; Center for Performance Research, Brooklyn, NY; and other spaces throughout the US and France. She has had the honor of working with Phoebe Berglund (NYC), Christine Bonansea Company (NYC/Berlin), Jemila MacEwan (NYC), Alexis Zaccarello (NYC), and collaboratively with Leah Fournier as Middle Space Dance. She teaches yoga and Comedy Pilates. www.ameliakh.com
