This summer, the Museum is periodically operating as a sound stage for the artist Cauleen Smith, who is filming three scenes hovering between the real and speculative. Each stages the internal negotiations of collective struggle — the gatherings, disagreements, and nuances of people trying to build something together within and alongside what remains. The material traces and video documentation of these performances also provide the context for a series of open public gatherings within the National Museum of the Aftermath.
The Aftermaths
Assembled specially for the National Museum of the Aftermath, “The Aftermaths” are a jazz quartet composed of renowned Los Angeles musicians Jeff Parker, Anna Butterss, Aaron Gilbert Steele, and Josh Johnson. During their improvisational performance at the Museum, The Aftermaths played for a live studio audience wearing costumes designed by Smith. This event’s production set consisted of a banner made by Smith, collaborative lighting design, two projected video works by Smith, and chairs from the artwork Quorum that regularly fill the Museum space.