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Viola He
A {room} of one’s own
Presented by Onassis ONX
Externalizing the expedition of imagination and solitude.
A {room} of one’s own is an XR performance and hysterical journey about making creative work within a confined space. Through voice loops, motion capture, and audio-visual fragments in projected scenes, the unnamed protagonist takes us through their adolescence as they navigate sickness, immigration, and a multilingual artistic career. Reality and fiction bleed together in this playful and raw exploration of the joys and horrors of being trapped in one’s own creative brain.
Note: This performance includes strobe lighting, loud sounds and discussions of the emotional and physical challenges of being in a hospital, which may be upsetting to some audiences. A {room} of one’s own is recommended for audiences aged 12 or older.
SCHEDULE
Friday, January 10 @ 3pm
Saturday, January 11 @ 5pm
Monday, January 13 @ 7pm
Tuesday, January 14 @ 7pm
NB: A {room} of One’s Own and RUNWAY will be presented together, back-to-back. Tickets purchased to one show will provide a seat for the other.
Run time: 20 minutes
VENUE
Onassis ONX
645 5th Avenue, Lower Level of the Olympic Tower
NYC, NY 10022
Access:
Visitors can enter the Olympic Tower from either 51st Street or 52nd Street, between 5th Avenue and Madison Avenue. Once inside the lobby, follow the signs directing you to the lower level for Onassis ONX. The Olympic Tower offers two accessible entrances: On 52nd Street and 5th Avenue through the main doors of Olympic Tower and at 51st and 5th, via the elevator in the lobby. To access the elevator in the lobby, Please notify a Security Officer at the Olympic Tower front desk. ADA-compliant restrooms are available on the lower level near Onassis ONX. Service animals are welcome at Onassis ONX. Please notify an Onassis ONX employee, and ensure that service animals are appropriately trained and remain under control at all times.
CREDITS
Written, developed and performed by Viola He
Sound design by Brad Davis
Co-produced by Onassis ONX
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Viola He is a Shanghai-born, Brooklyn-based interdisciplinary artist, performer and cultural organizer. Their creative practices engage with DIY electronics, programming, dance/movements and various time-based media, exploring pathways towards alternative structures, systems and interfaces. They create immersive experiences, installations and improvisational performances using algorithmic approaches to enhance, alternate and obfuscate audio-visual assets, investigating the contradictions of analog aesthetics and digital tools. Viola often dreams about infiltrating digital spaces with physical bodies as tools for intervention, wielding their love/hate relationship with technology to challenge the rigid infrastructures around them. Viola is an Onassis ONX member and is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor of Interactive Media Arts (IMA) at NYU Shanghai. Viola holds a B.A. in Communication from University of Southern California, and a M.P.S. from NYU’s Interactive Telecommunication Program.
CREATION + FUNDING
A {room} of one’s own is an Onassis ONX co-production which was featured in a work-in-progress showing in June 2024 as part of the Onassis ONX Summer Showcase. Its inclusion in Under the Radar 2025 is supported by Onassis ONX.
