FRANCIS and ANTHONY ALMENDÁREZ- NAVIGATING THE ARCHIVES WITHIN at Aurora Picture Show, Houston.
Houston’s Aurora Picture Show has announced a new performance work by Houston-based artists and brothers Anthony Almendárez and Francis Almendárez. The new work, titled Navigating The Archives Within, “questions how histories, cultural traditions, and personal experiences are kept and transmitted.” In the presentation, archival images along with original video and live readings will pair with improvised music to explore and contrast “official narratives, marginalized histories, and subjective memories.”
The 35-minute performance was filmed live at Aurora’s Houston location and will stream online live (and free) from December 2-6 on Aurora’s website. The performers are: Anthony Almendárez (trumpet, electronics), Francis Almendárez (prose, trombone, bongos), Abel Cisneros (keyboard), Sonia Flores (double bass), Xavier Gilmore (electronics, percussion), and Gabriel Martinez (drums).
Fracis Almendárez’s biography details his early life in Los Angeles before moving to Houston, where he lives and works. The interdisciplinary artist, filmmaker, and educator’s work considers “memory and trauma as it unpacks and reconstructs identity–specifically of im/migrant, queer, working-class bodies of Central America, the Caribbean, and their diasporas.” Francis is currently a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Houston School of Art.
Anthony Almendárez, also based in Houston, “examines the human condition through new modes of storytelling more inclusive of the histories and collective memories of marginalized cultures.” As a musician, composer, educator, and video artist, Anthony’s works have been featured at Alabama Song, Houston, TX; West Fork New Music Festival, Fairmont, WV; Marshall New Music Festival, Huntington, WV; and Florida School of the Arts, Palatka; among other venues and sites.
Aurora has scheduled a live, online discussion with the Almendárez brothers for Friday, Dec. 5 at 5pm CST (via Zoom, free, no registration required). The discussion will be moderated by Laura August.
For more information on all the performers, or to view the program and access a link to the discussion, please go here.
