Loss Machine
Artist: Kyle Loven
Mainstage Presentation
Russian Hall (600 Campbell Street, Vancouver)
Wednesday February 5 @ 7pm,
Saturday February 8 @ 8:30pm
Duration: 75 minutes
Loss Machine – Kyle Loven
Photo by Tim Summers
Image description: In a dark space, a large black and white image of a forested landscae is projected onto a screen. A woman stands in the middle of the image looking at the screen. Amy stands close to the image to the left hand side, also looking at the projection screen.
Everything is somewhere. Part miniature installation, part experimental puppet theatre, Loss Machine unearths a world of lost items, misplaced thoughts, and fractured journeys all housed within an intricately detailed set.
This intimate one-person show combines puppetry, objects, light, sound, and original music in a visual and sonic exploration of loss and discovery.
In a 7’ tall tower filled with life’s debris, a collection of characters move through an ever-changing assemblage of found and constructed objects. A lost city made up of lost things. With the “machine” further symbolizing the human body, the piece follows the process of loss and grief that impacts us all. Connected by a shared emotional journey, each scene picks up in the place where the last character left us. The resulting mosaic is poetic, fantastical, and leaves room for audiences to inject their own relationship to loss.
Originally performed in late 2012 through early 2014, Loss Machine is being remounted with a decade more of both personal and global loss adding new layers of relevance.
Created and Performed by: Kyle Loven
Created in Collaboration with Director: HATLO
Original Music: Paurl Walsh
Sound Design: Kevin Heard
Lighting Design: Amiya Brown
Dramaturg: Lauren Hester
Scenic Covers Design: Clare Strasser
Set/Prop Assistance: Rich Bresnahan, Bride Green, HATLO, Lauren Hester, Kristyne Hughes, Josh Russell, Sean Ryan, Clare Strasser, Ryan Wallace
Puppet Construction Assistance: Maggie Hillding, Nick Hubbard
Motor Mechanics: John DeShazo
Initial support of Loss Machine was provided by the Jim Henson Foundation and the Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs. Loss Machine premiered at On the Boards through a Creative Residency.
Trailer by Nico Dicecco
PLEASE NOTE
Loss Machine is an intimate show involving a number of small scale items, there are also extended periods of dim stage lighting. There’s very little spoken text in the show, but sound is an essential part of the storytelling.
KYLE LOVEN (he/him) is a queer performance and visual artist based on the unceded territories known as Vancouver. His work combines both constructed and found objects, unconventional storytelling, and various art forms with the human presence. His live performances have been seen in Amsterdam, Taipei, New York, Vancouver, Minneapolis, Seattle, Portland, and other US/Canadian cities. His work has premiered at major North American performance spaces: the Arts Club, the Guthrie Theater and On the Boards. Kyle is the recipient of grants from the Jim Henson Foundation and Canada Council for the Arts, among others. Awards include the Innovation in Puppetry Award at the National Puppetry Festival. He is the creator of the theatrical game night, Me Love BINGO!. Kyle is currently developing a new piece with his 70-year-old Mom, blending a real-time craft group gathering with a puppet show that incorporates the crafts just made by the audience.
Information for Presenters: Available for touring.
CONTACT
Kyle Loven
kyleloven@gmail.com
+1 604.600.2392
kyleloven.com
Instagram: @kyleloven