Katablog

Last July I was invited to join the art collective Klanghaus.

Led by Teddy Hulsker, Klanghaus runs monthly (sometimes themed) art events, inviting artists to showcase work. I enjoy being a part of this group because there’s a variety of mediums and material. Some stuff I’ve done for Klanghaus: contributed to installation art, painted faces, offered massage, made promo vids, made print programs (read typeset), and submitted a vid to be translated into music (Screens and Scores).

I’m looking forward to the next event Playhaus! 1-act plays! I’m in a 15 minute play directed by one of my housemates (who is also a Klanghaus member). My first role in a play since Antigone in High School!

(above is one of the promotional videos I made… I had videography of the first performance, coming soon to this blog)

I had two performances of this piece (which is a living piece, growing and changing) at SAFEhouse for the Arts. With prerecorded music, live overhead projector art manipulation and authentic movement (Authentic Movement – Wikipedia)

This project was conceived a while ago but then it morphed as my collaboration with my composer David Samas continued. My first time working with a professional composer!

Consider buying tix for the SF Fringe festival performances http://psychobotany.bpt.me/

The upcoming event description:

psychobotany
Using a variety of textured microsounds, Katarina Countiss and friends will explore a loose narrative of consciousness, interaction, and the nature of the unknown through a variety of approaches.
by Katarina Countiss
EXPERIMENTAL.
ALL FRINGE SHOWS START ON TIME. THERE IS NO LATE SEATING AND NO REFUNDS FOR LATE ARRIVALS.

Live music by David Samas and Derek Drudge
Movement by Andrew Rose, and Annikah Peabody

Happy Place

I wrote this after a bad morning trying to submit old paper work for food stamps in person. My ticket number was A003. My paystubs were a month too old and I have terrible luck with remembering passwords, so it’s not an easy feat to get them. UGh. Then my phone decided to not work. I wrote a poem about my hell-logicked life, then I wrote this poem and it made it all feel not so bad. The poem ends with wherever the audience and performer are.

Partial Eclipse

For all the glory of this cosmological phenom, I was at work in cloudy San Francisco, where we had an informal viewing party. I lost my phone so I had nothing else to do but glance at it and enjoy the company of my fellow coworkers. Same day, I performed this piece at the Octopus. I’ve never been so topical in my performances. One time performance!

Sound Poem

I was reading this beautiful book, Performance Art and was inspired by Free Music (a solo project that played at my house). I brought my toy glockenspiel.

Dance Therapy

I’ve workshopped this piece before for a 10-minute slot. Trying to do it in five was a fun challenge. The one about the Armory was really funny. When I asked that audience member and she said that the best part of her week was two parties at the SF Armory, I was inspired, lol. Read this post for more about that.

My first time at an open mic in a couple of years and that time was my first time. I’m fairly inexperienced, but I like performing. The above video (live audio recording) of the time I brought my clarinet and plugged in my phone to play a track Noah from Fraydee Cat made for me and then some storytelling. I thought a lot about what I would talk about. I really wanted to talk about how since last May, I’ve been taking messages from the dead more seriously.

The open mic a week from this time I read three poems. I like the idea of challenging myself to do different genres of performance.