Final Days

I think that its safe to say at this point that everyone's energy and patience are wearing thin here at Watermill. We've been faced with quite a challenge, after all. Working side by side with volatile personalities for 12 hours a day, 7 days a week for 6 weeks straight (8 weeks for some) without more than 1 or 2 days off is no easy task I suppose. This week has made it clear that some people are ready to be done. Priorities are shifting, attitudes are changing, and all in all I think its safe to say that most people want their own lives back.

The good news for me is that I will be able to end this residency with two exciting projects. By the end of the weekend, I will have helped install 4 major artist's installations in a public space near the Deutsche Bank on Wall Street. The artists that were invited to install work at our benefit have now been asked to recreate the pieces in this more public space in the city. I'’ll be working as support staff of some sort on this project.

And, even more exciting in my mind is the chance to complete and present a costume for a film and dance piece featuring the frequently aforementioned Indonesian dancer Illenk Gentille. I have come up with a variation on his traditional dance costume, and hope it works out. A pile of cream colored cotton sits beside salmon and wine red dupioni silks on our cutting table. The costume will consist of a wrap skirt with pleated inserts, a fan, decorative hand painted details on the dancer's skin, and two contrasting neckpieces - each for a different phase of the dance performance.


A Watermill work table is always tidy. Whether we want it to be or not.

We worked until 4:00 am last night with hopes of chugging along on this project, and the progress was promising. I will be spending the rest of the day on the same project, sharing my time with the others working on costumes for this weekend's performance of Persephone at the Guild Hall Auditorium in Bridgehampton. While I have not yet seen a run through of the piece, I am told it is remarkable and touching. Please come.