In
2005, in Caracas, Venezuela, choreographer Alexey Taran and filmmaker
and performer Carla Forte – along with several other artists –
created the company ERE. Bistoury, a
project based on a philosophy of respect, admiration, and curiosity
for the extraordinary creative and productive movement of Latin
American megalopolises, as well as for the ethno-cultural ambiguity
and diversity of the continent. In that sense, the focus is on Latin
America seen as an aesthetic, intellectual and cultural melting pot;
as avant-garde creative platform.
In
2007, ERE. Bistoury is re-established and relocated to the city of
Miami, Florida. Until then, the company had been supported by the
Ministry of Culture of Venezuela, and enjoyed a noticeable presence
within and outside of Venezuela. Its works were presented in various
venues such as theaters across the Venezuelan capital as well as the
country's heartland; at national and international festivals such as
the International Festival of Young Choreographers of Venezuela
(2005), at the Universidad Central de Venezuela (2006), the World
Festival of Solos and Duets in Caracas (2006), the Venezuelan
National Art Gallery (GAN) in Caracas (2006), Jacobo Borges Museum
(2007), “A Desert for Dance” Festival in the city of hermosillo,
Mexico (2007), the “Loft Into Theater (LITup)” festival in New
York City (2007).
From
2007 to 2011, ERE. Bistoury did not only produce physical theatre
plays or dance-theatre, but also, driven by the interest to research
and include new creative and communicational media in its work,
Bistoury began producing feature films, short films, and
documentaries.
In
2007, the play BOLO – directed by choreographer and company
director Alexey Taran – was developed and presented thanks to the
support provided by a Guggenheim Fellowship. This play marked the
beginning of an ongoing history of community performances and events
done by ERE.Bistoury in South Florida.
With
BOLO, ERE. Bistoury offered their first free performance in 2007 in
the parking lot of the gallery/performance space “801 Projects,”
located at the Jose Marti building in Little Havana, Miami. BOLO is a
choreographic work that delves into the dark world of dreams and
disorder. For this project, various artists of different
nationalities collaborated with the company; the music was composed
by renowned Venezuelan composer Frank Wow; the stage design was
developed by Venezuelan visual artist Lino Rojas; the video-art was
produced in the city of Caracas by the company Cinemacaracas, and
directed by Carla Forte (Co-Director of ERE.Bistoury) along with
Venezuelan video artist Eduardo Garcia. For its participation at the
10th Dance and Non-Verbal Theatre Festival in the Croatian
city of San Vicenti (2009), the production included a collaboration
by Nicaraguan artist and singer/songwriter Omar Roque (who resides in
Florida). Likewise, for its presentation at the LIT07 festival in New
York City, thanks to its open theatrical structure and its optimal
format as a laboratory for itinerant improvisation, the play
incorporated the collaboration of two dancers from the company of
Bill Young/Colleen Thomas and Co.
Playing
a prominent role in the national performing arts scene, ERE. Bistoury
showcases its work at different festivals, galleries, theaters, and
auditoriums, like the Miami Science Museum (2007) or the “Fall
Season” Movement Research at the Judson Church in New York (2009).
In 2009, at the “Here and Now” Festival, the physical theatre and
multi-media play SYMBOL was presented as the result of a
collaboration between ERE.Bistoury and local artists Carlota Pradera
and Glexis Novoa. This play was commissioned by the Miami Light
Project and the Adrienne Arsht Center, and also presented at the
Carnival Studio Theater in Miami, as well as in Santo Domingo,
Dominican Republic, during the expo event “Art of Uncertainty.”
Furthermore, the video-art installation Schizo Bolo was presented at
the Edge Zones Gallery in Miami (2009) and at the “Loft Into
Theater Performance Festival” in New York City (2009).
More
recently, ERE. Bistoury produced the physical theater and multimedia
play “Assassins for One Night,” inspired by and based on the play
“Night of the Assassins” by Cuban playwright Jose Triana. The
production was commissioned by FUNDarte, Meet the Composer's
Commissioning Music/USA Program, and the Miami Choreographers
Fellowship Program. The performance narrates a struggle against the
constant restrictions imposed upon us by a system without any real
power, a rebellion against repression, including that which we bring
upon ourselves. At times, this struggle walks the path of reality,
while other times it delves into rite and fantasy. “Assassins for
one night” was been presented in Venice, Italy, as part of the
“Marathon of the Unexpected” corner at the Teatro Piccolo
Arsenale for the prestigious Art Festival “La Biennale di Venezia”
(2012). It was also performed at the Black-Box Theatre of the
Miami-Dade Auditorium, as part of the “Miami On Stage” Festival,
in Miami, Florida (2011).
In
2011, ERE. Bistoury was a finalist competitor for the Knight Arts
Challenge.
Again,
it should be noted that ERE. Bistoury has not limited itself to the
production of dance-theatre plays and video installations. Rather,
its research seeks to transcend onto other techniques of projection
of moving images, which is why the company has gone into the
production of cinematographic works, keeping a sharp emphasis on the
creation of a laboratory approach that enables free and open
independent film and author's cinema (auteur or art-house
cinema). One outstanding example of such endeavors is the feature
film “Urban Stories,” produced by ERE.Bistoury and directed by
Carla Forte and Vicente Forte. The movie was awarded for Best Movie,
Best Screenplay and Best Cinematography at the Bootleg International
Film Festival of Toronto, Canada (2012). It has also received awards
for Best Movie and Best Actress at the Miami Life Awards (2012), an
Award of Merit at the Lucerne International Film Festival (LiFF 2012)
in Switzerland, and an Honorable Mention at the Los Angeles Movie
Awards (2011). Additionally, the film has been screened at the Miami
Beach Cinematheque (2012), the Venezuelan Film Festival in Merida,
venezuela (2012) and the Marbella International Film Festival in
Marbella, Spain (2011).
In
2012, ERE. Bistoury changes its organizational structure and its
company name to Bistoury, Inc., which was the result of a process of
free evolution into art work that is more deeply committed to the
daily reality of human beings. Without abandoning the artistic
projects that were in the works, the company created the following:
the Department of Author's Cinema, which is now directed by
Venezuelan writer and director Carla Forte; the Department for
Artistic Training and Creation “ERE” (Espacio de Revoltillo
Escénico, or Space for Scenic Jumble), directed by Cuban
choreographer Alexey Taran, and which will be in charge of organizing
the First International Festival of Improvisation (for 2013), which
will take place at the Miami theater Center (MTC) in Miami Shores;
and finally the Literary Department, directed by Venezuelan writer
Vicente Forte, which is in charge of publishing and supporting
up-and-coming writers of the city of Miami.
Such
an integration of art forms and disciplines has given way to the
multidisciplinary project “Imaginarium Art + Fabrik,” which is
currently in development and involves four phases of creation: among
them, the first phase is production of the short film “Reset,”
which was completed in early 2012, co-produced by Bistoury and
Cieneola Films from Venezuela. This short was selected for
participation at the “Cannes Court Métrage” (Short Film Corner)
of the pretigious Cannes Film Festival in France (2012). It was also
presented at the Miami Beach Cinematheque in July of 2012 in Miami.
The remaining phases include a physical theater performance, a
feature film production, and the publication of a collection of
anti-poems, as part of the exploration and research that Bistoury is
currently immersed in.
Bistoury
has received support from different organizations and institutions
such as the Cultural Affairs Council of Miami-Dade County, the New
York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Council
of the Arts, the Ford Foundation, Miami Light Project, the Adrienne
Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, FUNDarte, Miami Beach
Cinematheque, Inkub8, Miami Theater Center MTC, Edge Zone Arte Space,
the Instituto Sonorense de Cultura in Mexico, and the Ministry of
Culture of Venezuela.
