TWP Trailer. Artist Nao Bustamante’s latest work, "The Wooden People," layers ancient myths on the familiar melodrama of the telenovela, while grappling with ideas of queer existence, love, and a connection to the cosmos. The work expands on a central theme of a pre-Columbian origin story, which tells of pre-humans—“the wooden people”—who were eventually destroyed. Bustamante brings together luminaries of the Los Angeles performance art world, featuring performances by Bustamante, Marcus Kuiland-Nazario, San Cha, Dorian Wood, Pamela Martinez, Jose Guadalupe Sanchez lll, Sophia Alana Stevenson, Heather Acs, Leigh Ann Hahn, Sybil Mosely, Michelle Juliette Carr, Ron Athey, Rafa Esparza, Gabriela Ruiz, Anne Bray, Steeg, Cassils, Cristy Michel, Hermes Pittakos, Pony Lee Musgrave, Young Joon Kwak, Sebastian Hernandez, Noé Olivas, and Barry Morse. The Wooden People is an episodic 360 virtual reality (VR) film series that was filmed at REDCAT, where the theater takes on a metaphorical role in the central narrative. Original score by Nick Hallett and costumes by OLIMA. This work was made possible via the generous support of the Mike Kelley Foundation, The National Performance Network, REDCAT, La Mama, and Culture Hub.
