W2C Loves Violet Juno
Thanks to Words and Deeds, I had the chance to learn about magical props from Violet Juno and roll around with Harold, mapping vast silliness. Violet has made me want to discover performance art again -- to think about its shape for myself and W2C. Check her out:
Since Violet Juno was 13 years old, she has lived with chronic pain 24 hours a day from head to toe. Early on, art was one of the things that brought her joy in spite of the pain. She wanted to read the next chapter in the book, listen to the end of the song, and watch the second act of the play. At 17, Violet was misdiagnosed with a terminal illness and told she would not live beyond 21. Although it was a mistake, the experience underscored that nothing is guaranteed in life and galvanized her to go to art school.
Violet began by making sculpture but very soon began to perform with her sculptures and create videos and performative paintings. In the process, Violet discovered that art has the power to not only bring joy and wonder but also be the catalyst for deep thinking and transformation. She has devoted the last twenty years to creating art in its many guises and bringing it to venues of thinking and change including universities, theatres, art centers, schools, museums, hospitals, homeless shelters, and migrant camps. DownloadViolet Juno’s Resume for more information about venues.
If you asked Violet at age 8 what she wanted to be when she grew up, she would have said with great certainty, “A witch!” She wanted to create magic, make something from nothing, and be part of something extraordinary. So it is no accident, that every day as a performancer Violet does exactly that.
Violet’s artwork is composed of three bodies of work:
Staged Solo Performance most often staged in theatres using a combination of sculptural props and costumes as well as sound and video projection
Sound Performance Duo in collaboration with Ron Coulter investigating the intriguing space where sound and performance meet
Site-Specific Performance created in visually charged environments to explore the relationship between site and story