
SKY BURIAL | SURVEILLED
first performed on November 7, 2014
Andrew Freedman Home, Bronx, NY
performed once in 2014
MELISSA CALDERON
Brooklyn/Bronx, NY
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melissacalderon.com
SKY BURIAL | SURVEILLED
MELISSA CALDERON
Presented as commentary on the constant helicopter surveillance of communities of color, “Sky Burial | Surveilled” melds the ancient Buddhist burial practice with the concept of the death of privacy, solace, and trust of government. The 30-minute silent performance visually and audibly captures the steady flux of police helicopter surveillance of The South Bronx, a historically known community of color. The artist lies under a reflective pool of water and a cloud made of tissues, symbiotic relationships of power and fragility, futility and necessity. The reflecting pool activates the roof as a mirror, “as above, so below,” addressing the constant cannibalization of bearing witness to tragedy while the Body of Community is being picked apart through ever-watchful eyes.