Saturday, August 2nd, 2008

POLITical speeches as karAOKE = POLITAOKE.
Doors open at 7:30PM

Politaoke, an audience participation performance piece by Diana Arce, will tour the United States over a period of two months. The US premiere of the work, which allows audience members to deliver their favorite speeches from Presidential Primary Candidates up to the President himself - Karaoke style- opens on July 30th and 31st at the Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center in Buffalo, New York as part of the Buffalo Infringement Festival. The tour will continue cross country throughout August and September.

Developed over 2007/8 and first performed in Weimar, Germany on January 30, 2008, Politaoke has been expanded and updated to include a wide spectrum of contemporary politics and issues relating to the US election in November. While on tour, Diana Arce will be updating and adding speeches in order to stay up to date with the current election.

Politaoke provides the audience a platform to perform, mock and finally hear and see clearly what their politicians say. Completely bipartisan, Politaoke allows the audience to decide how to interpret each politician's words, whether serious or in a sarcastic manner. The politician's speeches and interviews are provided, word for word, only edited into sections (songs) of 1 - 8 minutes. A series of debates, interviews and television appearances are also provided as duets.

The idea, which stemmed out of an interest in Karaoke and a life long love-hate relationship with politics, Diana Arce decided to finally pursue the project in 2007. Growing up in close proximity to Washington DC and having completed her Bachelors in Cultural Studies and Experimental Film, Politaoke is a natural progression in Diana Arce's work as an artist, filmmaker and activist. Currently an MFA candidate in Art in Public Space at the Bauhaus University, Weimar in Germany, Diana is interested in using artistic methods as a platform to engage in political and cultural critique and commentary in the public realm. Much of her work stems not only from her personal experience, but also from contemporary politics, economics and news.

Tour dates are currently being organized in California, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Virginia and Washington D.C. with more states and cities to be added. A complete list of tour dates as well as photos from the Weimar event is available on www.politaoke.com.

http://www.politaoke.com
info@politaoke.com

Diana Arce
http://www.visualosmosis.com