Granted, the excellent trifecta of film, live music, and dance that was the Explode Into Colors/Janet Pants/Chris Hackett collaboration on Friday at the Works was a damn tough act to follow. Seattle psych/prog band Kinski's performance with dance duo robbinschilds, video artist A.L. Steiner, and set creator A.J. Blanford traveled over similar ground last night at the Works, where—is it just me?—the crowd seemed a little diminished compared to nights at the festival thus far. Still, the combination of Kinski's tense original score (merciful catharsis when they let it rip) and engaging visuals made the multi-costumed performance hypnotic enough to compete with the stone-y rooms of video installations that dominate this year's late-night hang. A homoerotic pas de deux was acted out onscreen and on stage, climaxing in what someone standing near me quietly dubbed the "lesbian stairway to heaven," built out of the multi-colored costumes of the dance. (Call me one-track minded, but I at first I almost thought the piece was trying to say something about clothes mongering...)
An upside to the Works tilting towards the dead end: Having the installations to yourself. I spent a lot of time in Ethan Rose's mini-music box room again last night. I kind of want to be there forever.
