Mutation X062 @ Haiti Cultural Xchange New York, June 2014

with the collaboration of the dancers Gelan Lambert, Loubentz Raphaël, and Didier Sylvain for the soundmix. 

Photos : Tequila Minsky / Jocelyn McCalla

I was submerged by emotions during MAksaens Denis' powerful performance 'Mutations', a unique artistic experience that delves into the unimaginable: the territory where the 'visib' and the 'invisib' merge. 
I felt deeply conflicted and strangely enlightened as Denis, a brilliant experimental digital artist, explored the multiplicity of selves torn apart and transformed into Human/Alien hybrids in mid-mutation. At once transported by Didier Sylvain's pulsating intricate musical progressions and a Nina Simone incantation to 'Dambala', and petrified by the winged half-naked devils who trodded heavily and jumped through the air as they flapped their gigantic wings with a sound reminiscent of a Fwèt Kash (rope whips that are sounded thunderously against the ground during carnival).
From time to time, these terrifying beings (performed by dancers Gelan Lambert Jr. & Loubentz Raphael) would crouch and stare fixedly with their bright cyclop eye. Meanwhile, Denis' images flowed seamlessly, creating the illusion of time passing within one expansive visual where a Dambala's vêvê recurred as a graphic flourish. The raw power and dynamic energy of this work left one breathless and- as mutations would - transformed. 
Mutation X062 represents the evolution of Denis’ Mutation X0 series. Each performance in the 'Mutation' series is different - Denis has stated that 'hinging on the exponential nature of mutations, the pieces respond to new environments, performers, social or political developments, and advancements in technology.'
Maksaens Denis is a Haitian experimental digital and performance artist.
http://www.maksaensdenis.com
http://bombmagazine.org/article/2695/maksaens-denis
You can view one of the performances in the 'Mutation' series here:
http://vimeo.com/77635584…
Nina Simone sings 'Dambala':
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pDwH-S0KoU
'Oh Dambala come Dambala
On the seventh day God will be there
On the seventh night satan will be there
You slavers will know
What it's like to be a slave
Slave to your heart
Slave to your soul
Slave to your race
Slave to your mind
You won't go to heaven
You won't go to hell
You remain in your graves
With the stench and the smell
Oh Dambala come Dambala' - (Lyrics by Tony McKay - Exuma)
Photos Jocelyn McCalla except where noted.
Thank you Teq Minsky for capturing the moment when moved by the music, I danced.
Thank you Haiti Cultural Exchange for bringing 'Mutations' to Brooklyn!!!

Michèle Voltaire Marcelin