Antidote
Pioneer Works and Abrons Arts Center are pleased to present Antidote—a live performance by new media artist and Pioneer Works Resident Alum LaJuné McMillian and choreographer Marguerite Hemmings—developed in collaboration with a cast of seven students from South Brooklyn Community High School in Red Hook and University Neighborhood Highschool on the Lower East Side. Together, they will share how motion capture technology and dance can serve as tools for personal growth and collective liberation.
First presented in 2020 as a video piece, Antidote is a multimedia work that reflects year-long exploration of healing through physical movement and digital technology. This iteration of Antidote will be a live performance presented at the Abrons Arts Center in December 2021. A sneak peek experience of the final performance will be presented at Pioneer Works on November Second Sundays.
This program is part of Pioneer Works’ ongoing School Programs offered to Red Hook elementary, middle, and high schools. As part of our School Programs, the Visionary Program is made specifically for high school students. These programs empower high schoolers with tools to pursue innovative careers in art and technology through real-world applications of skills taught by teaching artists who are leading the way for new ideas in their field. Learn more.
About LaJune McMillian
LaJuné McMillian is a New Media Artist, creating art that integrates Performance, Virtual Reality, and Physical Computing to question our current forms of communication. They are a current Jerome Hill Artist Fellow, and have continued their research on Blackness, Movement, and Technology during residencies at Eyebeam, Pioneer Works and Barnard College.
About Marguerite Hemmings
Marguerite Hemmings is a Jamaican born, Jersey-raised mover and educator currently based in Philadelphia. She focuses on one's own body and one's own way of moving. As a choreographer she specializes in emergent, social dance movement styles and technologies of the African Diaspora. She works inside of liberation ideology and practice.
About South Brooklyn Community High School
Based in Red Hook, Brooklyn, the mission of South Brooklyn Community High School (SBCHS) is to assist students who have been unsuccessful in the traditional school settings, those who are over-aged and under-credited, and/or students and families who have become disenchanted with their previous schools. SBCHS is committed to providing students with access to a quality education that will prepare students for post-secondary success.
About University Neighborhood High School
University Neighborhood High School (UNHS) is dedicated to preparing students to become global citizens through higher education opportunities, challenging academic curricula, and business and university partnerships, positioning them to succeed in an ever-changing world.
UNHS is devoted to providing the academic, social, and emotional supports needed to ensure that students of every race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, immigration status, socio-economic status, appearance, size, weight, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, and disability are celebrated, valued and respected.
Community and School Programs at Pioneer Works are made possible, in part, by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).