Kimi Maeda premieres Bend

 November 15 and 16 Kimi Maeda will premiere Bend, the final installment in a trilogy of performances developed over the past fourteen years. Using sand, shadow, and projection Bend tells the story of two men interned in a Japanese American Relocation Camp during World War II: Kimi’s father, an Asian Art historian, and the subject of his research, Isamu Noguchi, a half-Japanese-
half-American sculptor. In conjunction with this performance Tapp’s Arts Center will present Ephemera, a month-long exhibition of objects created in the development of the trilogy.

Kimi Maeda partnered with artist Lyon Hill in 2011 to form Belle et Bête, a puppet production and promotion company here in Columbia. The Spork in Hand Puppet Slams, evenings of short form puppetry that showcase artists from across the Southeast, have been a major component of their work. Slams allow puppeteers to test ideas and push the limits of the art form making them vital to the development of longer puppet endeavors, including Bend. Therefore, it is fitting that Bend will share each evening with Jenny Mae’s Playhouse – an all-
local edition of the Spork in Hand Puppet Slam featuring house band We Roll Like Madmen.

Support for Bend was made possible by the Tapp’s Arts Center, the Jim Henson Foundation, the South Carolina Arts Commission, and the K? Festival of Performance. Support for the Spork in Hand Puppet Slam was made possible by the Puppet Slam Network and the City of Columbia Hospitality Tax Commission.