Blue of a Thousand Years

As part of his exhibit, Memories in Indigo, Sean Riley will be presenting a new performance artwork at Jala Studio. Blue of a Thousand Years will use poetry, music, video, and movement to create symbolic acts of transformation that relate to Riley’s work with indigo in relation to memory.  The performance will also act as a memorial to the work of artist, Terry Adkins (1953-2014.)  Riley studied under Adkins at the University of Pennsylvania from 2002-04 and worked alongside him for many years as an assistant and collaborator.  According to Riley, "Terry taught me how to listen to materials for what he called their 'potential disclosure', by which a material reveals how it may be transformed and given new purpose.  Terry was a master at this and I am forever grateful for his wisdom, generosity, and mentorship." 
The title of the performance refers to a Japanese term for the deepest shade of indigo blue, attainable only by repeated immersion in the dye.  For Riley, the intellectual and emotional depth of Adkins’ work has provided a model for artistic development and material transformation akin to such a saturated blue.