Dancer views her art, in part, through the lens of fake rocks
Michelle Ellsworth, recently named a college professor of distinction, discusses the intersection of technology, ancient thinkers and language
Michelle Ellsworth is a dancer, but her art encompasses more than what is traditionally viewed as dance. As The New York Times noted in 2018, “her eccentric and marvelously original art defies easy categorization.”
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d-t8aIOMuI&t=447s]
At the top of the page: Jadd Tank demonstrates Ellsworth's "over-the-counter counter-terrorism" protocol for avoiding surveillance (protocol No. 5: hiding in furniture) in her performance of "Clytigation" at the Chocolate Factory in November, 2015.
For starters, Ellsworth, a college professor of distinction in theatre and dance, recalls a time in which she created “fake rocks,” made from concrete poured into a mold, each containing a hamburger in the middle of the concrete.
What is the artist’s intent?
“There are so many ways to read a work” of art, Ellsworth says. “I have personally always resisted suggesting any particular read of my work, but today I’m going to try.”
That’s how Ellsworth introduces her that commemorates her being named a 2020 college professor of distinction. In normal years, professors of distinction discuss their areas of expertise in front of a live audience on campus. This year, the honorees are doing pandemic-friendly presentations.
Other recent winners are Robert Pasnau of philosophy, Elspeth Dusinberre of classics, and Pieter Johnson and Katharine N. Suding of ecology and evolutionary biology.