(Submitted but did not run, Tech Talk 10/27/1999)
One of finest and most provocative performance artists working in the US today, Guillermo Gómez-Peña has roused, amused and inspired audiences through his relentlessly experimental yet accessible explorations of cross-cultural issues and North/South relations. In one of their most recent projects, Mr. Gómez-Peña and collaborator Roberto Sifuentes take cultural stereotypes gathered from their confessional Web site and use the data to assume composite identities, becoming "multicultural Frankensteins and 'ethno-cyborgs.' "
As this year's guest artists at MIT through the William L. Abramowitz Lecture series, Mr. Gómez-Peña and Mr. Sifuentes are in residence from October 28-November 1 and will present a free multi-media lecture, "Techno-Dioramas: Ethno-Cyborgs and Artificial Savages" on Monday, Nov. 1 at 8pm in Kresge Auditorium.
In conjunction with the residency, two of Gómez-Peña's videos will be screened on Thursday, Oct. 28, the finale of a three-part series. (see Arts Calendar)
Mr. Gómez-Peña will return in January, 2000, under the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Visiting Professor Program, to work with students in MIT's Dramashop in the creation of an original theater piece that explores the interface between performance, cultural identity, and new technologies.
Info: 253-2341.
