Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/110922
BREAKING DOWN THE WALLS NEW COLLEGE GRADUATE ERICA GRESSMAN COMBINES VARIOUS ART FORMS IN HER PIECE, WALL OF SKIN, AT THE LATEST INSTALLMENT OF NEW MUSIC NEW COLLEGE By Tyler Whitson Staff Writer Performance artist Erica Gressman is not afraid to challenge herself when it comes to preparing and performing her pieces. In fact, she sees great artistic value in developing complex processes to produce a desired result when others might have taken an easier route. ���I���m a big fan of making elaborate ways to just press a simple button,��� Gressman said during an audience Q-and-A session following her performance of Wall of Skin for a packed house at New Music New College (NMNC) in New College of Florida���s Black Box Theater on the evening of Friday, Feb. 8. The piece consists of numerous art forms ��� including performance, sculpture and drawing ��� that fuse to create the intricate process Gressman had described. That process pushes the metaphorical button that determines the characteristics of the music filling the room during her performance. Erica Gressman begins the performance of Wall of Skin in New College of Florida���s Black Box Theater on the evening of Feb. 8. In an interview with The Sarasota News Leader, Gressman referred to her character in the performance as a ���cyborg��� or ���avatar��� with an ambiguous identity. ���I do like making technology as volatile as, say, a female body,��� she said in regard to her portrayal. All photos by Arielle Scherr