“Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. When we can be alone, we can be with others without using them as a means of escape.” -bell hooks

In some parts of the world, the pandemic is beginning to subside. Throughout the last year and a half, many people found themselves suddenly in a position of isolation like never before. There is a unique struggle to being alone, particularly as a species that thrives on community. Many, though, discovered rich ways of being alone and learned a whole new way to connect with themselves or with just a few people rather sparingly. Knowing how to be with ourselves, how to feel fulfilled when we are on our own, is a major step in the journey to building good relationships. Perhaps, in a very minute way, the pandemic brought with it gifts we may not have otherwise received.

 

Dara Haskins spoke to us from Philadelphia where she reported that lockdown continues to some extent. Haskins participated in a few online exhibitions over the last year or so, one titled Nomenclatures of Invisibility. She has her first solo exhibition coming up in which she will show pieces from her Havana Time series as well as others from a quarantine series she has been working on. This will be the first time she has been able to show this work in person. Haskins created a residency for herself in Havana, Cuba during which time she began the Havana Time series. To hear more about this endeavor, and why Haskins refers to the recent years as “panini time” listen to the complete interview.

 

Alethea Pace was in the Bronx when we spoke where, as a performer and choreographer, she reported that it suddenly feels like things are ramping up again. She expected the change back to normal to be more gradual, however, the shift has occurred quite quickly and she finds herself busier than she has been in a long time. Despite the return, she feels compelled to remember the lessons she learned over the course of the pandemic including slowing down, appreciating the moments she is given and taking stock of things including the work she is creating. In terms of her work, there is one project in particular that affirms some of her learning. Here Goes the Neighborhood involves walks through neighborhoods with residents who share stories and memories, which Pace records and creates site specific movement performances to accompany these recordings. To hear more about this project, including Pace’s hope to expand to all five boroughs of New York City, listen to the complete interview.