The Oriental Theater held a special screening of the silent film Moby Dick; or, The Whale, directed by critically-acclaimed visual artist Wu Tsang featuring a live orchestra accompaniment composed by world-renowned musicians this last Friday night.
The showing was sponsored by many local groups like Present Music, Milwaukee Film and UWM Peck School of the Arts, who assisted with ushering. The event also had a social post-concert gathering at the nearby restaurant Beans and Barley for small bites and a cash bar.
Retelling the classic American novel from a postcolonial and queer perspective, the new movie adaptation aims to build upon the original themes of masculinity and human connection by crafting an intricate love story between the two main characters Ishmael and Queequeg.
Taking deliberate inspiration from the book Mariners, Renegades, and Castaways: The Story of Herman Melville and the World We Live In by CLR James, director Wsu Tsang incorporates direct commentary on imperialism and climate change as the diverse sailors navigate through a complicated world suffering from the ramifications of extortion and pollution.
Having initially premiered back in 2022 at the famous Schauspielhaus Zürich theater, the art piece presents a lively narrative full of stunning cinematography and vivid imagery beaming with color that was created through video game software and a complicated ship set on wheels.
The creative mind behind this project is Wu Tsang, a lauded visual artist whose body of works features stories about underprivileged voices and often overlooked aspects of history, in addition to characters transcending the gender binary and subverting the basic definition of what being a performer entails.
While the majority of her past pieces have chiefly been short films and mini-documentaries, Moby Dick; or, The Whale stands out as her long-form directorial debut.
Among her noteworthy achievements are winning a MacArthur Fellows Program grant, having many exhibitions around the globe from the Tate Modern in London to the Gropius Bau in Berlin, and serving as the guest director in residence at the aforementioned Schauspielhaus Zürich.
Necessary to this showing was the live orchestral accompaniment spotlighting an adjoining score written by notable composers Caroline Shaw, Andrew Yee and Asma Maroof.
Caroline Shaw is largely considered one of the most coveted songwriters of her generation, receiving an honorary doctorate from Yale University and winning four Grammy Awards. Shaw is also the youngest-ever recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in Music.
Andrew Yee is also highly accomplished and well respected in the field, having trained at the famous Juilliard School and being a founding member of the critically acclaimed Attacca Quartet. Additionally, Asma Maroof is a recognized expert in sonic dualities and electronica, being incredibly accomplished in both theater and film.
The event could not have been brought together without the talent and precision of the ensemble led by conductor Georgia Mills, who has worked with processions worldwide and recently completed a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the Eastman School of Music.