My name is Noa Joyce Fodrie. My favorite color is naples yellow and honeycrisp apples are the absolutely pristine teacher apple so I have to love it. March 2020 I got a cat accidentally when I originally wanted a dog and twenty-two I asked my mom for a little sister that looked just like me to which SHE said “that’s not gonna happen” but then it DID and even though she’s almost five years apart I got my wish– we look like twins. I’m from Memphis, TN and yes we have the best BBQ and YES the best water and the best people and that includes my family. Oh have I told you about them? My mom is black and my dad is white and I know you were curious and wanted to ask but were either too polite or “waiting for the right time”. So here you go, you get your bit.
People said bad things like “are you sure they had you on purpose” and *that no no word* and “you’re like a poodle (pet pet pet)” and “are you sure they’re your parents” because we’re just not believable enough and the good ole’ “what are you… are you sure” and I got really sad so I said
WHOOSH
Double-consciousness.
For safety, right?
For safety.
But then I realized I couldn’t feel joy and YOU DON’T DESERVE THAT POWER so I’m taking it right on back so I can hop and skip and wiggle on forward
to now.
Where I hop and skip and wiggle and dance and document and paint because god it feels so good to feel safe and whole in my body and god I want to give you the opportunity and space to feel the same safety in your body that only your bones can give you. If I feel safe and you feel safe then maybe we’ll just
be safe
And isn’t that a beautiful place to be. So these are for me and also for you.
But mainly for me.
Through my work I aim to deconstruct double consciousness through an embodied ritual, pairing together abstract painting and dance in the process. Within painting and dance choreography there are rules to be followed. How these expectations are fulfilled, or countered, speaks just as loudly as the work itself.
I begin each work with a set of rules:
- ASSESS WHERE MY HEADSPACE IS. WHERE AM I HOLDING THAT IN MY BODY?
- LISTEN TO A SONG THAT HAS RECENTLY MADE MY WHOLE BEING SWELL WITH EMOTION; DANCE NAKED.
- PHOTOGRAPH SAID DANCING (not for you!)
- CHOOSE THREE PHOTOS.
- ON PANEL DRAW THREE OVERLAID BLIND CONTOUR DRAWINGS, ONE OF EACH PHOTO. ROTATE PANEL AFTER EACH DRAWING.
- PAINT THE SPACES OF MYSELF IN BETWEEN THAT I ALLOW YOU TO SEE.
- REPEAT COLORS THREE, FIVE, OR SEVEN TIMES ACROSS THE PANEL, CREATING A SENSE OF BALANCE.
I am beginning to approach this list as a ritual practice that is allowed to flow and flex through explorations over time. It is a grounding place for me, a documentation of processes that I allow others to see. There is space for intuition to play, allowing trust to let embodiment settle in. This alternate mindset comes into play in the following ways:
WHEN I CHOOSE THE SONG.
WHEN I DANCE.
WHEN I PICK THE PHOTOS.
WHEN I DRAW BLINDLY.
WHEN I PICK COLORS.
WHEN I PAINT.
WHEN I DON’T LET MYSELF PAINT.
Some choreographers have specific movements in mind when they begin to set the counts. Some allow the dance to become defined after flow and play. Both are valid methods of creation; the two do not have to exist in opposition. I have specific rules in mind when I begin the work. I allow the work to progress through flow and play. Both are valid methods of creation; the two do not have to exist in opposition.
Type: Ceramics, Installation, Painting Style: Abstract