Which Part of ‘It’s Illegal to Steal a Schoolbus’ Didn’t They Understand?

Posted by Mary Mancini on September 4, 2007 under Uncategorized |

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to interview New Orleans performance artist José Torres Tama on Monday’s show (That’s why we need more days on the air! –Ed.) so we wanted to let you know about his appearances this week at Vanderbilt University.

José Torres Tama managed to escape the social chaos that submerged the city after Hurricane Katrina on a stolen school bus, which was operating a rescue mission of Creole families. In “The Cone of Uncertainty,” he tells his survival story and explores the criminal negligence of federal officials, and the apocalyptic abandonment of a people who were made to beg for help and water in front of national TV cameras.

He also comments on larger issues concerning race and class in the U.S., the historical context of the storm, and the displacement of thousands of Latinos, whose traumatic stories were mostly ignored by the mainstream press. Performed with a magical realist Latino voodoo aesthetic and combining personal stories, storm film footage, and a variety of characters, Torres Tama offers a multimedia “live art” solo that is politically provocative, visually engaging, and profoundly moving.

José will appear twice this week in Nashville. Tonight, Sept. 4, at 6 p.m. at the E. Bronson Ingram Studio Arts Center, Room 214, on the Vanderbilt campus, the “politically charged Tama will deliver a keynote regarding the hybrid genre of performance art and influences on his work, political identity, and the concept of art for social change.”

Then, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 6, he will present the solo multimedia performance “The Cone of Uncertainty: New Orleans After Katrina.” The event will begin in Sarratt Gallery and move to Sarratt Cinema.

Tamas’ presentations coincide with Sarratt Gallery’s Sept. 1-28 exhibit of works by New Orleans photographers.

And while we’re on the subject of the aftermath and the two year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, you should read Were You There?, an essay by Edmond W. Lewis, the editor of Louisiana Weekly, which he dedicates “In honor of those who perished during and after the Great Flood of 2005 and in tribute to those who continue to fight daily to rebuild their lives, homes, communities and themselves, we choose to remember everything that happened on August 29, 2005 and beyond rather than forget.”