Nonlinear Lineage is an effort to share a criss-crossing artistic lineage of experimental dance and performance in New York City through elements of oral history, an ephemera archive, live interviews and other events which highlight historic performance in conversation with contemporary practice. The recordings and other artifacts are presented in periodic live events as well as on this site.
Nonlinear Lineage is an auto-ethnographic project organized by Sarah Maxfield in collaboration with Elliott Cennetoglu. Linking artists by self-defined influences, and grounding the stories within the context of NYC’s ever-changing landscape, the project explores an artist-driven history in form and content that reflects the impact of artists on the city and vice-versa. It also takes into account the imperfect nature of memory and the importance of context to present a mapping of history that is fluid and contains multiple points of view.
Advisors to the project have included curator/producer Carla Peterson, artists/educators Lenora Champagne and Holly Hughes, as well as Susan Kraft, Coordinator of the Oral History Archive and Project at the Jerome Robbins Dance Division of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
To contribute stories and ephemera to Nonlinear Lineage, contact Sarah Maxfield at sarahmax[AT]gmail[DOT]com.
*The image used in the header of our site is a detail from a poster designed by Sean Meehan originally to advertise a benefit for ABC No Rio.
Nonlinear Lineage 