opening reception: sat., may 25, 5:30-8pm
Performances: May 30 - June 29, Thurs. - Sat., 6:30pm
installation on view: May 25 - June 30, 2024

WHY??

Hanne Tierney

Lecturer performed by Hanne Tierney
Sidekick performed by Cooper Mumford, voice by Marine Cornuet
Songs composed and sung by Jane Wang
Music by Kiowa Hammons
Lighting and sound tech by Ruby Lindsey and George Simonds

The installation/performance WHY?? asks the question: “What has the human species done to its males?” Throughout history, humans have consistently dealt with conflicts and confrontations by sending men into battles and wars to kill and slaughter each other off. What an appalling burden we have settled on the men, not least the knowledge that their lives are completely expendable. It is reasonable to ask why men have fallen into the trap of periodically killing their own population.

One answer is the incredible power of propaganda and language that brainwashes and indoctrinates us all into accepting the otherwise unacceptable.

An installation of large prints on the gallery walls at FiveMyles shows the stages of propaganda and indoctrination that have allowed many civilizations to take this mutual massacre of the men for granted.

The prints feature representations of battles and wars fought since antiquity, as well as propaganda posters used to indoctrinate and manipulate men and the society at large into believing that the mutual killing the men are made to engage in is necessary, honorable, and heroic. Images from as early as 4,000 BCE point out the ongoing advocacy for the idea of heroic manliness, a notion that has sped billions of men into their death. Finally, images of precise marching formations in military parades include a photo of the precise rows of thousands of white crosses in the military cemetery in Arlington Virginia.

While the installation doesn’t answer any questions, it hopes to create awareness of this almost sacrificial role human civilizations have assigned to men throughout the ages - to kill and get killed in return.

To complement the installation a life-size puppet delivers a more detailed lecture about this human aberration. Her sidekick, a small boy puppet, asks controversial questions that the audience might want to ask. A line of dowel sticks become marching soldiers, and an otherworldly spirit-figure sings her commentaries on the foolishness of mankind. Songs by Jane Wang and live music by Kiowa Hammonds add their voices.
  -  Hanne Tierney

Beginning May 30, half-hour performances take place Thu. – Sat. at 6:30pm, until June 30.

GALLERY HOURS:

Thursday - Sunday, 1 - 6pm, or by appointment.

DIRECTIONS:

Take 2, 3, or 4 trains to Franklin Avenue. Walk two blocks against the traffic on Franklin. Walk ¾ block to 558 St. Johns Place. FiveMyles is within easy walking distance from the Brooklyn Museum.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

FiveMyles is in part supported by the New York State Council for the Arts, Public Funds from the New York City Dept. of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, Council Member Crystal Hudson, The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation, the Joseph Robert Foundation, and the William Talbott Hillman Foundation.