Transforming the town with experimental art

By Christine Urio
WARWICK — The Warwick Summer Arts Festival (WSAF) will once again transform the town, bringing attention to the arts with multi-disciplinary, public performances and exhibitions through Saturday, Aug. 5.
Throughout the festival, performances by dancers and musicians will occur in venues such as local farms and fields. One of the main attractions is the DUSKLIT Festival, an annual, one night interactive art bazaar that is presented at the Seligmann Center in Sugar Loaf as part of WSAF.
The call for experimental art will take place tomorrow, July 29, from 6 to 9 p.m., where 62 artists from across the country are invited to transform a 10 foot by 10 foot outdoor plot into a microenvironment, which responds to the changing light of the setting sun.
Artists Olivia Baldwin and Cody Rounds have curated more than 35 art installations and performances that challenge visitors to accept experience, rather than object, as art. The art approaches in this festival are meant to engage visitors or offer interactive experiences, either singularly or through collaboration.
The festival offers opportunities to experiment with various approaches to art, ranging from music, dance, and poetry, to sensory deprivation installations, Jell-O catapults, and improvisational acting scenarios.
“DUSKLIT provides space for artists to execute new and interactive ideas on an enchanting site with deep roots in art and magic,” said Rounds. “In turn, the community has the opportunity to experience art, not as spectators, but as an integral part of the work.”
After the event, an After Dark Dance Party will take place from 9 p.m. to midnight, featuring regional DJs Öberon and Jonathan Strænge.
DUSKLIT received partial funding through the Orange County Arts Council 10th Anniversary Community Arts Grants.