WRATH OF KONG at PERFORMA 07, NYC

Photo by Penny Leong Browne (a.k.a. AliseIborg Zhaoying)

On Nov 3, 2007, Second Front performed Wrath of Kong at PERFORMA 07, part of The Second Biennial of New Visual Art Performance (October 27-November 20, 2007)

Based on the iconography of King Kong and Donkey Kong, Second Front saves the real Princess Peach (Man Michinaga s.k.a. Patrick Lichty) and defeats King Kong (Gazira Babeli) in this epic remix that had our avatars ascending up ramps and ladders to the top of the Empire State building where the Great Kong had captured Princess Peach in its grip. Second Front launched their attack by flying biplanes (Great Escape a.k.a. Scott Kildall and Tran Spire a.k.a. Doug Jarvis), riding up ramps in a lime-green motorscooter (Tea Chenille a.k.a. Tanya Skuce), wearing flaming barrels (Wirxli FlimFlam a.k.a. Jeremy Turner) and shooting laser guns (AliseIborg Zhaoying a.k.a. Penny Leong Browne) all to the retro sounds of arcade games. Other strategies of assault had Wirxli FlimFlam throwing barrels from ramps and gunfighter Fau Ferdinand a.k.a. Yaels Gilk shooting ammo from atop an attacking biplane flown by Great Escape. Versions of Princess Peach were also deployed to distract the Kong from the real Princess Peach (Man Michinaga) with Tea Chenille as the adorable miniature Cabbage-Patch-like doll, and AliseIborg Zhaoying posing as the pixellated 2D Princess Peach and acting as a love interest decoy by spraying pherenomes at King Kong. Liz Solo sent minute-by-minute reportage to both the audience below and those in (RL) NYC who anxiously awaited news of the rescue of Princess Peach.

The pics here show some Second Front performers standing in victory on the body of the defeated Kong.

WRATH OF KONG at PERFORMA 07, NYC

Photo by Penny Leong Browne (a.k.a. AliseIborg Zhaoying)

On Nov 3, 2007, Second Front performed Wrath of Kong at PERFORMA 07, part of The Second Biennial of New Visual Art Performance (October 27-November 20, 2007)

Based on the iconography of King Kong and Donkey Kong, Second Front saves the real Princess Peach (Man Michinaga s.k.a. Patrick Lichty) and defeats King Kong (Gazira Babeli) in this epic remix that had our avatars ascending up ramps and ladders to the top of the Empire State building where the Great Kong had captured Princess Peach in its grip. Second Front launched their attack by flying biplanes (Great Escape a.k.a. Scott Kildall and Tran Spire a.k.a. Doug Jarvis), riding up ramps in a lime-green motorscooter (Tea Chenille a.k.a. Tanya Skuce), wearing flaming barrels (Wirxli FlimFlam a.k.a. Jeremy Turner) and shooting laser guns (AliseIborg Zhaoying a.k.a. Penny Leong Browne) all to the retro sounds of arcade games. Other strategies of assault had Wirxli FlimFlam throwing barrels from ramps and gunfighter Fau Ferdinand a.k.a. Yaels Gilk shooting ammo from atop an attacking biplane flown by Great Escape. Versions of Princess Peach were also deployed to distract the Kong from the real Princess Peach (Man Michinaga) with Tea Chenille as the adorable miniature Cabbage-Patch-like doll, and AliseIborg Zhaoying posing as the pixellated 2D Princess Peach and acting as a love interest decoy by spraying pherenomes at King Kong. Liz Solo sent minute-by-minute reportage to both the audience below and those in (RL) NYC who anxiously awaited news of the rescue of Princess Peach.

The pics here show some Second Front performers standing in victory on the body of the defeated Kong.

"Theatre of the Subliminal Front" at LIVE 07, Vancouver

Photo by AliseIborg Zhaoying (a.k.a. Penny Leong Browne)

Second Front performs at the Western Front in Vancouver as part of the LIVE 2007 Biennial of Performance Art, October 20, 2007.

Inside the "Theatre of the Subliminal Front" Second Front members discover they are both the performers and the subject of a meditative action-painting. To the beats of a gong in a Hermann Nitsch soundtrack, Second Front performers shoot paint cans that splatter paint on impact, exploding colour onto a scene that depicts the performers' avatars as paper cut-outs getting crucified in the "theatre", with Nitsch paintings, crosses and a billboard of the Second Front setting the stage. In the final scene. Second Front performers play dead, releasing their souls from their avatar bodies.

Guest-curated by James Morgan of Ars Virtua and Jeremy Turner.

Second Front's own video coming soon!

In the meantime, check out these photos by Tran Spire (a.k.a. Doug Jarvis)