The Performance Cycle
FRIDAY : 4/19/24 : Excess and Destruction
As the world continues to warm at an uncontrolled rate and we are fed live updates about the earth’s demise each day, Last Earth begins its performance cycle by reflecting on the hard truths of where overproduction, overconsumption, and a disposable, single-use lifestyle have gotten us.
Fires are blazing, hurricanes are intensifying, and historic heatwaves are increasing. We’re reaping the consequences of decades of climate denialism, endless economic growth, and lack of action. Can you withstand the weight and noise? Video art and live music performances will reflect the Excess and Destruction of the current world.
SATURDAY : 4/20/24 : The Resilience of Nature
The last nine years have been the hottest years. The last several months have had the highest temperatures on record. But we don’t have to lose hope. As people alive right now, we are contributing actively to the world of the future. Our thoughts and actions matter. No matter how “small” you think your impact may be, it makes a difference. If there is any hope for the future, it is in one another.
Power is a constellation, not a pyramid. The world we live in seems hierarchical, because this illusion works best for the people who have the most to gain. In actuality, everyone has power. But our power lies in recognizing that we do. Doomism plays into hierarchical power structures.
Society has changed before, and it will change again. Efforts like the civil rights movement changed the face of society for the better. People like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King refused to accept the status quo, and believed in a better future. We owe it to ourselves to do the same. Society will change, and it’s up to us to imagine and expect the best, not the worst. The Earth has an incredible capacity to heal, we just have to give her a chance. Art and music featured this day will reflect this power of renewal.
SUNDAY : 4/21/24 : Reflection and Community
The final part of the cycle and the last day of Last Earth will focus on grounding ourselves and strengthening the bonds of community for future resilience. Climate change means upheaval and insecurity for many communities. We experience the impacts locally through extreme weather patterns, increasing wildfires, droughts, floods, and landslides. By engaging our community with this event, we work to strengthen the bonds between them and our environment, fostering awareness and resilience for the storms to come. Sunday features morning yoga amid the art and projections, with instructor Whitney Call. Ambient and drone music will accompany environmental art exploration. Bring a yoga mat and stretch with us or just lay down and soak up the vibes. Hands-on recycled art activity TBD.
ALL EVENTS ARE FREE and supported by a grant from Heartland Creative Corps and United Way Merced, with help from Tuolumne County Arts
Audio/Visual Performances
Live music from local and touring artists will be paired with exhilarating visuals and art installations transmitting the viewer through a possible future. Friday night will experience the wrath of man and the the warming of the earth which inevitably leads to the fall of society. Saturday will explore the rebirth of a habitable environment. Sunday will be a day of healing, meditation and reflection.
Friday – Excess and Destruction
5pm – Doors Open
6pm – Recycled Art Show Opening
7pm – Grime Spree
8pm – C.A.F.
9pm – From Flowers to Flies
10pm – Wet Meadow
11pm – Doors Close
Saturday – Resilience of Nature
5pm – Try Not To Quit – Performance
6pm – Casey Chisholm
7pm – The Lodestones
8pm – Future Twin
9pm – Minor Birds
10pm – Awahnichi and Talking Ghost
11pm – Doors Close
Sunday – Healing and Hope
11am – Sound Bath with Mountain Wellness
1pm – Yoga with Whitney Call
2pm – Doors Close
*All events and artists are subject to change.