Festival Nrmal, Part 4: Throw to Lion

photo of  Lulú Melón Sandia by Jaime Martínez 

In a double twister of fate, .gif-fabulous photographer Jaime Martínez presented Throw To Lion, an experimental arts space placed onto Parque del Ferrocarril at Festival Nrmal. Martínez's Throw To Lion, had previously been a tumblr, a book, a radio show, and a noise outfit, but last Saturday, it was both exhibited and performed in a cargo container. The showspace's exterior, facing the black stage, was a shared with a muralist but used a corner quadrant to indicate a tentative schedule of music performances and a spray of visual collaborators (Victoria Nuñez, Lulú Melón Sandía, and Meredith Jay). The red (Christmas) light district was layered with drying leaves and  decorated in printed posters of the internet paranrmal (female centipede, pointilistic porn, etc.). The frequency of people visiting fluctuated as did the jump rate. I noticed a couple enter the trailer, only for the female partner to display a disgusted visage and immediately walk out of the trailer. A rightful reaction when considering the art involved itself with digital violence to the female body in a time of techno-industrialism.

photo of  Victoria Nuñez by Adrian Mata Anaya

T2L was maybe not as family friendly as watching Brujeria perform, but it was still a familial effort. DS RE grinded up cassette recordings and shot shards into an electrostatic field. Terribly comfortable in such an environment, Lourdes Martinez aka Lulu Melón Sandía jumped on the mic. The femme phantasm would stay in close proximity to the trailer, video recording various performances, but ended up straying elsewhere apparently, as evidenced by her VHSGIF entries from Nrmal. With delays and schedule  accelerations, Brontis and Parque Frensei eluded me, but they were ever present, a gift to the space. My double rainbow, HDXD, Delia Beatriz Martínez (MX) and Hector Llaquin of Megajoy (CH, Michita Rex), produced a sonic warp, proving romance and experimentalism go lip and lip. Though untouched in previous reportage, Jaime Martinez surely has Festival Nrmal's commitment to the techno-raw and the non-Coachella.

photo of  Throw to Lion Trailer by Adrian Mata Anaya

More photos the event and its collaborators can be found in this album, and Throw To Lion's audio performance has been recorded and presented here.