Janice Berman reviewed Jess Curtis’s “Touched,” part of the San Francisco International Arts Festival, for today’s Chronicle:
“When there’s a swirl of old-fashioned clothespins on the floor and not a clothesline in sight, that’s a pretty good sign of what a piece like “Touched: The Symptoms of Being Human” is up to. Soon and predictably, the clothespins pinch their way onto someone’s face. Ouch. It’s gripping, to be sure, but is it art?
“Touched” attempts to explore what we think about when we touch or are touched, be it by another person, the scent of another person, the memory of touch, the anticipation of touch. And there’s another question: What can an audience derive from witnessing such an exploration? ”
I too was at the opening Thursday night, and though I was a fan of Curtis’s last work, “fallen,” I couldn’t agree with Janice more about this new piece. Somehow all those heady ideas Curtis stirred up did not make it onto the stage. For the full review, click here. And if you want to judge for yourself (always encouraged), the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts is offering a two-for-one ticket deal on the remainder of the run.
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