CrossWalk

Date: June 17, 2022 7:00pm, Rain Date: June 19, 2022 7:00pm
Location: Artpark – 450 S 4th St. Lewiston, NY 14092

Stop Traffic.
You have the right of way.
In an intersection where things meet and converge
A conceptual fashion world
Featuring dynamic designers from WNY.
Produced in partnership with Artpark.

CrossWalk is a site-based performance and fashion installation designed for the open space of “Niagara 1979” at Artpark. The performance collaborates with Michele-Elise Burnett, President of Kakekalanick and Indigenous Art Producer at Artpark, a local Bengali cricket team to stage a live cricket match, fashion designers and two Buffalo-based bands. 

Audiences view a cricket match in the golden hour while enjoying a cocktail party as they pose for photographs; as the sun begins to set over the iconic gorge, ancestral welcome songs greet the audience and reveal the Indigenous retrospective from pre-contact to the intersection where our paths converge and the new journey of our shared future begins.  

Theatrical lighting and a designed soundscape with pre-recorded text takes over, altering the context of the evening and positioning the event within a designed fashion show. As the fashion show progresses and night arrives, live bands provide the soundtrack for the remainder of the evening’s activities; where models, athletics and machines engage with the surrounding landscape.

Attendees are asked to dress in monochromatic colors. Photographers and videographers will capture both performers and audience members for a virtual reality experience to be released at a later date.

This partnership with Artpark is part of Torn Space’s INTERSECTION: Performance Series. The series, which highlights the wide variety of artist communities in Western New York, transcends expectations for typical theatrical experiences. Unlike traditional sit-down performances, CrossWalk is an event – a celebration of time and place, experienced in the present. 

CrossWalk takes place at Artpark, located at 450 S 4th St. Lewiston, NY 14092, for one night only. This performance party is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, along with the following lead sponsors: Cullen Foundation, Erie County, Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, Stenclik Family Charitable Foundation, the June Farrington Fund, M&T Bank and REDC.

“Niagara 1979” by Gene Davis – dress in a monochromatic outfit inspired by your favorite color in this enormous color field.

Credits:

  • Mother Earth Song by Bear Fox/Sung by Boobie Jones, Elaina Jones
  • Power of the Land Poem by Duke Redbird/ read by Michele-Elise Burnett
  • Sitting Bull quote – read by Oliver Nobosin
  • Honor song for the Natural World by Adrian Harjo
  • Tribe Called Red “Electric Pow Wow” featuring local artist DJ Shubbs
  • Young Wild and Free – Northern Cree sung by Joe Shawana

Torn Space Production Staff

  • Artistic Director – Dan Shanahan
  • Associate Director – Melissa Meola
  • Production Manager – Carly Weiser
  • Technical Director – Tony Rajewski, Matthew DiVita
  • Technical Associate – Daniel Toner
  • Audio Engineers – Ian Kibler, William Reich, Jr
  • Marketing & Social Media – Holly Kirkpatrick

Featured Fashion Designers 

  • OGLXRY
  • PeteTheGod
  • BUREAU
  • Kylie Priscilla x Torn Space 
  • Leah Shenandoah
  • Kehala Greene Smith 
  • Uknowtrist
  • Jordan Smith
  • Brittany Clause

Performance Designers

  • Indigenous Curator – Michelle-Elisa Burnett
  • Original Soundscape and Light Design – Frank Napolski
  • Virtual Reality & Film – FLATSITTER
  • Sound Interludes – Justin Rowland

Bands

  • C4W2 – Collab between Chango4 & way2wavybaby
  • Soul Butchers

Camp Everything

  • Designer – Adam Weekley
  • Performer – Bello B
  • Counselor – Nikiya Garza
  • Gloria
  • Niljaylys
  • Fifi
  • Mwaju

Models

  • Justin Leis
  • Kalub Thompson
  • Sean Kulak
  • Veronica Roztler
  • Chenzi
  • Natalie
  • Kazmier
  • Austin Hooly
  • Peyton
  • Deymia Donaldson
  • Leon Alston
  • Todd and Matilda Lesmeister
  • Sara Wierzba
  • Tyler Mendola
  • Kehala Greene Smith
  • Jordan Smith
  • Leah Shenandoah
  • Brittany Clause
  • Theresa Bear Fox
  • Shyanna Merced
  • Amaya Dyckman
  • Chango4
  • Wavy
  • Deni
  • Jossy
  • Mariah
  • Solremot
  • Vanessa
  • Lou
  • Axanandra
  • Shaquille
  • Elazim
  • and more!