2018

Beneath The Skin
(A Living Museum)

BENEATH THE SKIN was an art installation that served as a “living museum.” It attempted to subvert the epidermis of the colonizer by collecting and displaying representations of history as they happen, rather than allowing the victors to archive and display it after the fact to support their narratives of power. The museum was devised and constructed by students in theatre, dance, communications and interdisciplinary arts at the Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts at the University of Houston. It sought to engage the audience in discussions of cultural narratives, historical archives and power in the moment in which these things are being created.

Advised, Produced, and Curated by Matthieu Chapman and Justin Lucero.

Photos by Pin Lim.

True Colors

Roby Johnson

a visual exploration of emergent discrimination on the Grindr platform where profiled bodies and personalities are often labeled, filtered, and judged in comparison to the white, masculine, dominant, muscular, gay male aesthetic

Bra or Binder

Mik Moats

a display questioning where the line is between too feminine and to masculine through the lends of Houston’s transgender/non-binary community and their clothing

Unreachable

Ashley Boykin

a movement piece refracting the effects of discrimination on the pursuit of dreams, a personal story of a black female dancer

Dear Fish

Elizabeth Ann Keel

a short, meditative film that explores strange-but-true news stories regarding portrayals of human loneliness, seeking to help with humanity’s inner yearning to connect with one another

#MeToo: Stories from the Grey Zone

Sophia Watt

13 Grey Zone (defined as incidents of a sexual nature that were nuanced or ambiguous and might not fit perfectly under the banner of #MeToo) stories shared by women throughout the U.S.

#Disconnected

Julie Rubio

often looked at as a primitive for not indulging in the world of social media, this choreography embraces the lifestyle of an unplugged Millennial

Rough Cut

Eric Moore

a visual art piece that seeks to challenge notions of whitewashing characters of color in films based on true stories by “color-washing” their white screen partners

Nassarene

Nontani Weatherly

a re-imagining of one of Christianity’s most recognizable icons: the crucifix, examining the question “Are all sins worthy of God’s grace?”

Dress Code

Bonnie Langthorn

an Interactive installation exploring the daily struggle that many women face seeking an outfit appropriate for her day (and appropriate for the expectations others have of her)

Listen to Me

Alexis Vargas

“Little girls don’t stay little forever…”

This installation honors the army of Larry Nassar’s survivors who demand their voices be heard

The Spacebucket and the Fallout

Logan Butcher

an excerpt of a new play tying the historical figures of Harry Angslinger (shaper of America’s drug policies) and Ronald and Nancy Reagan, and a present-day fictional figure dealing with the realities of marijuana prohibition

Beneath The Skin(A Living Museum)

Beneath The Skin
(A Living Museum)