Against Night

“We find ourselves in a time of transition and unpredictable change,” says GWDT Executive Artistic Director David Shimotakahara about his world-premiere work, titled “Against Night.”These themes were a starting point in the creative process, he says.  “For some reason I also started thinking about images of light and its properties and textures and its changeability over time. Those light related ideas combined became metaphors for how we experience and navigate change.”

“Against Night” has four sections. Shimotakahara see the two middle sections book ended by two abstract responses to extraordinary pieces of music by American composers David Lang and Steve Reich. The middle sections have a more human context with music by Jennifer Higdon and Nico Muhy. “For me, these extraordinary compositions conjure the energy and qualities of light,” says Shimotakahara.

The piece will also explore the dichotomy between light and dark. Its contrast will be a strong visual element but it will also serve as a metaphor for polarities – life and death, being on the edge of something, on the brink. Teetering on an existential threshold.