TRUE COLORS
Linda Larsen
The phrase true colors has a nautical origin dating back to the 1700s and refers to the color of the flag that ships at sea were required to fly. Pirates deceived other ships by sailing under false flags so they would not arouse suspicion. Thinking that the pirates were friendly, other ships sailed close to them and fell under their grip. It was only after an attack that the pirates showed their “true flag.” And so it continues, albeit with negative connotations, that the expression true colors has long been an identifying badge.
For a lifetime I’ve been making paintings of the human figure, mostly from stored memories of watching people; where words fail, pictures have never let me down. I’m not suggesting that pictures arrive without their own stories, but my hope is that this work helps to bring the viewer into her/his own story. The finished work might be stagnant on the wall but this doesn’t mean the experience of looking at it stands still. That there is no ‘one way’ to look at art, or anything for that matter, is reassuringly individual and independent.
When I came upon Cyndi Lauper’s eponymous song, her interpretation inspired me to reflect on true colors as characteristics that were hidden because of retribution or disapproval from others. Right up my alley! This work is an invitation to be intimate with your own true colors.
It is a great honor to reunite with Butoh artist Constance Humphries, Projection designer Adam Larsen, and Sound composer Kima Moore for this collaborative project at Revolve.
ABOUT THE COLLABORATORS
Kima Moore (sound)
Kimathi Moore was born in Paris, France in 1966 amidst a very rich multicultural
backdrop. During those days Kimathi traveled a lot with his parents and lived for
many years in Nigeria, Senegal (West Africa), Paris and the French Antilles
(Martinique, Guadeloupe). Within this environment Kimathi developed a profound
love for the arts as a whole and was primarily drawn to sound synthesis. As a child,
Kima always felt this acute sensitivity for textures, colors and sounds and the unknown and as that feeling grew and matured, this would lead him to become a sound artist and electronic musician, percussionist and as of late that need to explore would transpire into photography and video.Recorded sounds, which are usually field recordings and resampled synthesized sounds are creatively shaped and molded to convey certain base impressions, which could border on synesthesia. In that sense Kima considers his music to be more like sound “paintings” of sorts, which is a temporary way of calling it. The philosophy being that there ought to be no limits to sound as to where it can go. A major influence on Kimathiʼs compositions are the works of French illustrators Fred (Philémon comics) and painters like Jacek Yerka, Remedios Varo, Merriam,Seurat, Hieronymus Bosch and composers like Debussy, Ravel, Schumann, Germaine Tailleferre, Ralph Towner, Keith Jarrett, Coltrane, Duke Ellington, Nana Vasconcelos, Jon Christensen, John Abercrombie and Eberhard Weber.
Constance Humphries (dance)
Scotland-based performance maker, Constance Humphries explores curiosity, and
embodied experience as ways of asking what it means to be human. Trained in dance
theatre and butoh and holding degrees in fine art and information science, she works at an
intersection of analogue and digital forms; creating performances, installations, soundscapes, videos, costumes, drawings and code.
Her work engages themes of identity, relationship, memory, and place through cultural and multi-species exchange, inviting audiences into visceral encounters that spark imagination, connection, and transformation.
Engaging themes of identity, memory, and place, she invites audiences into visceral encounters that spark connection and transformation. Her projects have been supported by Arts Council England, CoLab Sunderland, National Trust England, Asheville Area Arts
Council, and North Carolina Arts Council, and presented internationally.
Adam Larsen (lighting/video design)
Adam Larsen is an Asheville-based documentary filmmaker, projection artist, and designer. His films include Undersung, which follows caregivers of severely disabled family members, and Neurotypical, which explores autism from autistic perspectives and premiered on PBS’s POV. Adam’s projection work spans immersive installations and live performance design. Notable projects include A Worm's Eye View, a 360-degree experience for autistic audiences; Nebraska Flatwater, a 10-projector meditation on the rivers and landscapes of Nebraska; and The Dharma at Big Sur, a large-scale installation set to John Adams’s iconic composition. In performance, he has directed semi-staged operas for the Houston Symphony, codirected Ellen Reid's Lumee's Dreamat LA Opera, and created Rainbow for Honolulu Theatre for Youth. As a projection designer, he has contributed to more than 200 productions across theatre, dance, symphony, and opera, collaborating with leading artists including Hal Prince, Missy Mazzoli, David Lang, and Esperanza Spalding. He is currently developing Access Point, a documentary about access to nature for individuals with disabilities, and The Pinecone, a mobile 360-degree projection venue bringing immersive cinematic experiences to new audiences with a focus on accessibility.