Paul Maheke's "A Fire Circle For a Public Hearing" at The High Line

Today and tomorrow, High Line Art is hosting A fire circle for a public hearing, a performance by artist Paul Maheke. The High Line’s presentation is first time this compelling performance will be shown in North America, finding new resonances in the unique public space as three performers explore the body as a historical archive. Performances of A fire circle for a public hearing take place on the High Line at 14th Street starting at 7pm on June 29, and 30, 2022.

RSVP online.

A fire circle for a public hearing is organized by Melanie Kress, High Line Art Associate Curator. Paul Maheke is an artist working in performance, video, sculpture, and installation. His performances are predominantly based in dance and movement, often accompanied by poetic voice-overs or scripts; they explore the ways that bodies can act as archives of history and personal experience.

In the work, three performers (Morgan “Emme” Bryant, Lucy Hollier, and Rafaelle Kennibol-Cox) channel different characters as if possessed by ghostly entities. Their movements and dialogue explore hypervisibility and erasure as they play out in historical marginalization and contemporary political movements.

On the High Line in the 14th Street Passage, the work is performed outdoors for the first time, opening up the experience to passersby and dedicated audiences alike. As with many of his works, Maheke invites performers to activate the unique architecture of the space, merging together props, costumes, and the set. His choreography blends movement references drawn from pop culture, postmodern art history, and contemporary music, drawing the viewer through the passageway with layers of movement, speech, and music.

“Paul Maheke is a captivating choreographer whose work to date has been predominantly seen by audiences in Europe; it is very exciting to bring this performance to New York City—and to North America—for the first time,” said Melanie Kress, High Line Art Associate Curator. “Paul’s work asks important questions about what it means to be a body on stage, and how a single person is able to hold many shared and overlapping histories in a single gesture. He encourages us to think about what is seen and what is not seen, both in the performance of a single person, but also in our wider cultures and histories at large.”

The performances are free and open to the public. Visitors are encouraged to RSVP online.

The work is approximately 45 minutes long. The nearest entrances to the High Line for the performance are located at Gansevoort Street and at 14th Street. The nearest elevator is located at 14th Street near 10th Avenue.