Public Performances
Waterfire (Providence, RI)
Waterfire is my main public performing venue. It is a fascinating public art piece created and
directed by Barnaby Evans.
His standards are rigorous, and to be invited and perform at Waterfire requires a certain
essence which will blend in with the Waterfire environment. The first time I was asked to fold
origami at Waterfire, I was asked to silently make a series of white cranes in memory of the events of
September 11, 2001. At a later Waterfire, the opera Madame Butterfly was to be sung; Barnaby asked that
I make a series of origami butterflies that would be given out by opera singer during the evening. During
later Waterfires, I expanded the repertoire to include more of the classic origami pieces. In keeping with
the atmosphere at Waterfire, I fold silently. During any particular Waterfire, I give away hundreds of pieces
of origami, and a crowd of people is almost always present.
Here are some more photos from Waterfire:
Annual Hungry Tiger Festival - 2012 (Somerville, MA)
The Hungry Tiger Festival was a great local street gig I just did in Union Square, Somerville, MA.
Faneuil Hall (Boston, MA)
In 2009, I auditioned to be a street performer at Faneuil Hall, one of the premier busking venues in the United States, and was accepted! It was a great season, and learned a great deal from the crowds and fellow veteran performers.
Here are some photos from Faneuil Hall:
Harvard Square (Cambridge, MA)
Harvard Square has been a classic "buskers" showcase (Busking is the British term for street performing). Here, you can see jugglers, musicians, living statues, magicians (and myself, the only origami artist!) perform for the crowds on almost every night of the week, when weather permits. In Harvard Square, I have folded both with a 'patter', exchanging quips with the crowds, and silently. It was here that I started performing and folding in public. When folding, I usually dress in all black, to give good background for the origami paper. I generally always wear a top hat, and wear a long dress coat when it gets cold.
New Bedford WHALE Christmas Festival (New Bedford, MA)
Along with a number of other performers, I was asked to perform at New Bedford's two-day WHALE Christmas festival. Here are a few shots of me interacting with the crowd on a cold winter's day:
