The Momentary Launches Into August With World Premiere of Traversing Dance Performance Die No Die (Arkansas)
GUESTS RECEIVE KEEPSAKE CUSTOM ARTWORK, INVITED TO JOIN PROCESSION AS ARTISTS RACE THROUGH DARKNESS TO PERFORM AT MARKED SITES
Photos of Die No Die are available here.
BENTONVILLE, Ark. — The Momentary kicks off the month of August with the world premiere of 2022 artist-in-residence Matty Davis’s immersive dance experience Die No Die (Arkansas). Presented live for three nights, the action-packed, site-responsive work will feature individual performances by six dancers. Each performance will connect to the next and create a high-intensity procession across the grounds of the Momentary — and guests will be invited to parade along or await the arrival of the dancers at designated areas.
Situated outdoors at night and traversing approximately 800 meters, Die No Die is structured in the spirit of a shooting star. When each performer bursts into view, they will begin heartfelt movement and choreography that connects with the audience. One after another, in linear succession, the six dancers will join the space and begin a new journey through specific challenges, demands, and freedoms.
To help shape the experience, attendees will receive a handcrafted map of the performance — a custom frameable artwork. To witness the experience from a new perspective, guests are also encouraged to see a repeat performance.
In addition to the show dates, Davis will be in conversation with author and Pulitzer Prize finalist Chloé Cooper Jones at the Momentary and Two Friends Books*. Event details below.
DIE NO DIE (ARKANSAS)
WHAT: Artist Matty Davis’s one-of-a-kind, participatory performance by six dancers, connected by a procession across the grounds of the Momentary campus.
WHERE: The Momentary, 507 SE E Street, Bentonville, AR 72712
WHEN: August 4-6, 9:00 PM
WHO: Die No Die (Arkansas) features performances and contributions by Karen Castleman (AR), Matty Davis (CA), Lyle Oberman (AR/UT), Blake Worthey (AR), and Tony Orrico (IA), with a special contribution by Will Arbery (CA).
HOW: Reserve your spot online or with the Box Office at (479) 657-2335. Tickets are $50 ($45 for members, $25 for students and repeat attendees, free for youth ages 18 and under). Tickets include registration, a handcrafted performance map, and admission to all venues.
ARTIST CONVERSATION*
WHAT: Guests will have the opportunity to meet artist Matty Davis as he will be in conversation about Die No Die (Arkansas) with project contributors, dancer Karen Castleman, environmental educator Yannik Dwyer, and the Momentary’s Curator of Performance Cynthia Post Hunt. The panel will be moderated by Pulitzer Prize finalist Chloé Cooper Jones.
WHERE: The Momentary RØDE House, 507 SE E Street, Bentonville, AR 72712
WHEN: August 1, 5:30 PM
WHO: Artist Matty Davis, dancer Karen Castleman, environmental educator Yannik Dwyer, curator Cynthia Post Hunt, and author Chloé Cooper Jones.
HOW: Free and open to the public, tickets are not required.
Davis and Jones will also be in conversation at Two Friends books on July 28. The discussion will focus on Jones’s new memoir.
To learn more about Die No Die (Arkansas), visit here.
To download press images, click here.
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About Matty Davis
Matty Davis is an artist who uses embodied forms of risk, trust, and empathy to collaboratively explore perennial questions of mortality, desire, and how to deal with one another and survive together. His work is marked by a unique degree of responsivity, constantly churning new relationships, iconographies, methods, and materialities.
Matty was born near Pittsburgh, PA, and grew up as a multi-sport athlete, which exposed him to visceral experiences of injury, resilience, teamwork, and play that continue to influence him. While expansive in its subject matter and material outcomes—sculpture, drawing, photography, and publishing—his work predominantly manifests in performance and dance, which he values as a communal space in which to be radically present and alive.
Described as “balancing ecstatically on the edge of life and death” (Zaritt), Matty’s work has been presented throughout at the US and abroad including at the ICA Miller at Carnegie Mellon University, the Fine Arts Center at the University of Arkansas, the Art Institute of Chicago, Bozar, the Palais de Tokyo, the Max Ernst Museum, Pioneer Works, and Steppenwolf Theater, among many distinct site-specific contexts. He has been commissioned to make performances for internationally-acclaimed artists such as Hito Steyerl, but has also worked intensely with surgeons, carpenters, aviators, athletes, botanists, and activists.
He currently lives in California.
About the Momentary
Opened in February of 2020, the Momentary is a contemporary art space in downtown Bentonville, Arkansas, for visual, performing, and culinary arts. The mission of the Momentary is to champion contemporary art’s role in everyday life and explore the unfolding story of contemporary American arts in an international context by actively commissioning and exhibiting outstanding works that explore new ideas and inspire action. The Momentary was founded by the Walton family, based on the vision of Tom, Olivia, and Steuart Walton. The Walton Family Foundation is supporting this project as a way to enhance the quality of life in Northwest Arkansas. The Momentary is a satellite to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, founded by Alice Walton. The Momentary welcomes all with free general admission. Additional offerings include an artist-in-residence program, culinary experiences including an Onyx Coffee Lab and the sky-high Tower Bar, indoor and outdoor gathering spaces, an outdoor festival space, and a gift store. For more information, visit theMomentary.org. The Momentary is located at 507 SE E Street, Bentonville, Arkansas 72712. The Momentary’s Founding Funders are Walton Family Foundation, Walmart, RØDE Microphones, The Coca-Cola Company, Tyson Family Foundation, and Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation.