{"id":12213,"date":"2024-11-18T16:17:35","date_gmt":"2024-11-18T16:17:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.golive.clarku.edu\/news\/2024\/11\/18\/oblivion-gives-voice-to-the-power-of-memory\/"},"modified":"2025-09-04T12:12:53","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T16:12:53","slug":"oblivion-gives-voice-to-the-power-of-memory","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2024\/11\/18\/oblivion-gives-voice-to-the-power-of-memory\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Oblivion\u2019 gives voice to the power of memory"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center caption alignwide has-small-font-size\" style=\"margin-top:-1.5rem;margin-left:79px\">Cailin Marcel Manson, director of Clark\u2019s music program, during the filming of \u201cOblivion\u201d in The Grind in 2022. (Photo by Stephen DiRado).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-intro\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">In August 2022, The Grind in the Higgins University Center was transformed into a movie set. But for the duration of the shoot, the actors never spoke a word on film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The production was \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/johnaylward.com\/oblivion\/\">Oblivion<\/a>,\u201d an opera composed by Professor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/faculty\/profiles\/john-aylward\/\">John Aylward<\/a> and inspired by Dante\u2019s \u201cPurgatorio,\u201d which explores the concepts of memory, identity, and redemption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOblivion\u201d&nbsp;follows two amnesiac Wanderers through a modern conception of a kind of Purgatory. With an accompanying ensemble of viola, cello, contrabass, electric guitar, and electronics, the story explores what might be gained from remembering one\u2019s own life, and whether remembrance brings knowledge and perspective or pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Excerpts from the film will be screened in the Higgins Lounge at Dana Commons this Wednesday, November 20, at 7 p.m. The screening, sponsored by the Alice Coonley Higgins Institute for Arts and Humanities, will be followed by a conversation with composer\/librettist Aylward and with the film\u2019s director, Laine Rettmer. Refreshments will be served.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI loved [Dante\u2019s] writings as a young man,\u201d Aylward told ClarkNOW during the film shoot. \u201cI wanted to do something with the idea of purgatory or the afterlife, trying to find ways to explore memory and life experiences \u2014 remembering your past, recreating it, putting it together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOblivion\u201d is a very Clark affair. Along with Aylward, Professor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/faculty\/profiles\/cailin-manson\/\">Cailin Marcel Manson<\/a> played one of the characters, Professor Kevin McGerigle served as a technical consultant, and four current and former Clark students \u2014 Nicole Overbaugh \u201924, Oli Gavin \u201921, Graham Pelligra \u201923, and Isabella Bacallao \u2014 were employed behind the scenes as production assistants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was grateful to work on the project at Clark,\u201d Aylward said. \u201cWe turned The Grind into a film studio, and transformed that space.\u201d He added that working with David Chearo, vice president for planning, made the project possible, as Chearo was able to coordinate the various Clark offices that needed to be involved, including Facilities Management and University Police.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Aylward said he is excited about the number of people who will be able to see \u201cOblivion.\u201d Stage performances, even the most successful, eventually have a closing night \u2014 but the film can be screened over and over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Excerpts from opera filmed at Clark to be screened Wednesday<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":12214,"template":"","meta":{"story_color":"#525250","story_headerImg":12214,"section_label":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[225],"displayed_author":[258],"featured":[],"topic":[248,250,150,204,196,200,184],"class_list":["post-12213","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-humanities","displayed_author-melissa-lynch-95-mspc-15","topic-alice-coonley-higgins-institute-for-arts-and-humanities","topic-arts","topic-faculty","topic-film-and-screen","topic-humanities","topic-music","topic-visual-and-performing-arts"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.2 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - 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