Die No Die is a site-specific, collaborative performance structured in the spirit of a shooting star. Undertaken by a rotating cast of performers, the work linearly traverses and crashes into space—once, then again, appearing, evading, and accumulating. The intensity of its arrival initiates a four-part choreographic structure of various degrees of freedom and exactitude that each each performer passes through. In collaboration with the audience, Die No Die creates pockets of intimacy within otherwise diffused spaces and shatters routine audience-performer relationships. Everyone meets in a shared unknown, where Die No Die is at once something to behold, lunged after, or lost.
Like maps are used to familiarize a person with the terrain, routes, and possibilities of a geography or place, Die No Die involves a publication that details architectures, flora, types of ground, and qualities as they relate to the performers and the performance’s trajectory. This piece of publishing—a preparatory exchange between the artists and the audience—was mailed in advance of the performance and is intended to initiate a relationship based on care and responsibility that is carried into the performance itself.
Die No Die (Arkansas) is a project that was commissioned by The Momentary and which consists of both a live performance and a publication. Each edition includes a silkscreen overprint made using surface rubbings from the aftermath of the live performance.
Author: Matty Davis in collaboration with Matt Wolff
Publisher: The Momentary
City: Bentonville, AR
Year: 2023
Dimensions: 11.25 x 8.25 in. (36 x 24 in. unfolded)
Binding: Folded + Staple-bound
Process: Offset Printed
Color: Color
Edition Size: 300
