Noise artist Peter J. Woods returned to theater last weekend with an intriguing blend of experimental shorts, Standingstillorworse, at the Borg Ward.
Woods has experimented with narrative before, but this new work fuses with art noise to go well beyond his earlier pieces. The program began with a beginning-of-the-day feel, with Woods putting on a tie in silhouette as distorted spoken word played through noise in the background. When he went to work he was accompanied by the sound of grinding metal and lights alternating in a pattern. It's all very abstract and primal.
Much of Woods' work is an attempt to find the meaning of human endeavor. While the final piece, Pity, which featured an abstract, interpretive suicide, was the most elaborate short of the evening, some of the more brilliant bits were the shorter, minimalist pieces. The most uncomfortable bit featured a spotlight on Woods' lips with a pair of microphones pointed at his mouth as he unwrapped tiny candies from a bowl and ate them. The sound of consumption was amplified by speakers in a soundscape mixed with noises reminiscent of a scratching pen and the occasional, sustained beep of an EKG flat line—perhaps this played to the agony of self-imposed overconsumption in the United States. Subtler moments like that proved to be the most compelling.
For more information on Peter J. Woods' work and other local experimental, avant-garde art, visit experimentalmilwaukee.com.
