Commissioned by MoMA for the exhibition Judson Dance Theater: The Work is Never Done, Will Rawls and Andros Zins-Browne’s remix of Simone Forti’s seminal work, See Saw (1960) employs an object associated with balance to examine issues of power, inequality, and trust. At the time that this work was first performed in 2019, the United States was in a fierce debate over the policies of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) regarding the separation, detention and expulsion of migrant bodies, including children. Using Forti’s simple wooden fulcrum and plank, Rawls and Zins-Browne re-purpose the seesaw to be used for division, obstruction, and physical risk. Martita Abril, as instigator and unreliable translator, acts as a dynamic fulcrum to the performance. This ‘Domestic Drama’ unfolds as a game of national politics as much as play on a children’s playground. As the trios’ interaction proceeds through unclear rules and abstract intentions, the winners often seem arbitrary, and the visitors are invited to share that danger which is our condition of possibility.

Simone Forti
See Saw, 1960
Performance with plywood seesaw
The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Committee on Media and Performance Art Funds, 2015
Interpreted by Will Rawls and Andros Zins-Browne
Performed by Martita Abril, Will Rawls and Andros Zins-Browne
Filmed on January 12, 2019 as part of the exhibition Judson Dance Theater: The Work Is Never Done at The Museum of Modern Art

Photos ©Paula Court

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