Woof Nova

A List of Twelve Possible Causes of Melancholy
1. the absence of touch
2. the repetition of unfortunate events
3. heartbreak
4. lack of stimulation
5. indecision
6. partaking in an occupation to which one is ill-suited
7. innumberable days of rain
8. the inevitability of death
9. the annoying habits of other people
10. the recognition of ones own annoying habits
11. over stimulation
12. the disappointment of language

A montage of text, song, live action and introspective musings, veils/vestiges explores the body as a holding house, a mysterious and complex dwelling place that contains not only our expanding lungs and beating hearts, but the nuances of our dream life and the remembrances of our past. The various texts include excerpts by 17th. century physician William Harvey, philosopher Henri Bergson and other intrepid explorers of human anatomy, consciousness and the cosmos. The ensemble invites the audience to inhabit installations that encourage moments of intimate reverie and to participate in simple games of chance that contribute to the unfolding events each evening. veils/vestiges was first presented at the Theatre of Yugen in San Francisco in the summer of 2004. In August 2005 a new version of the piece was presented at the Ontological-Hysteric Theatre in New York.