Our Perfectly Wonderful Lives
(2007)

To know Andy is to be at once attracted to and repulsed by him, and it is that dichotomy that permeates all critique of Warhol's life and art. When he died the Village Voice declared on its front page "Is God Dead?"! Looking at contemporary pop culture one cannot escape the fact that Andy was there when it all began, at the big bang of popular culture, whose bright colors, endless repetition, and easy to understand ideas tempted us to forget our deepest troubles with just a bite, or a sip, or a voyeuristic glance. Pop culture is oft portrayed with cynical irony, mocking the consumers, and being above it all. We don't think Andy gave us his Pop Art as a cynical jab, although he mercilessly made jabs at the art world. We think he did it because he loved people, and understood our deep need for redemption and forgiveness, even when he himself was so hard to forgive. In beginning this work we were originally interested in exploring Warhol's art ideas, but soon found his personal life to be equally as rich and relevant. There must be twenty shows worth of material to mine in this man's story! So, we centered on a parallel story of our own, and explored the making of the myth of the artist-celebrity, and how the media and the public conspire with him in a mad rush toward their perfectly wonderful end.
 
Direction, Choreography,Scenic Design by Jennifer Ilse and Paul Herwig
Soundtrack Composed by Ben Siems in collaboration with Jeremy Hauer
Lighting by Jeff Bartlett
Duration: 40 min
Cast: 6
 
Produced by the Walker Art Center and Southern Theatre with funds provided by the Jerome Foundation