Directed and performed by Mayumi Ishino.
Philadelphia Fringe Festival 2009

WHAT: Interdisciplinary performance art, free and for all ages, including children

WHEN: Fri. Sept. 4th, Sat. Sep 5th, Sun. Sept. 6th, & Sat. Sept. 19th at 5pm. Duration: 45-60 min.

WHERE: The performance starts on the corner of N. 3rd and Church Street near Old City Coffee (MAP)

Two performers at arm's length apart. One in white, the other cloaked in black. Action ensues with mirrors, markers, and a hammer.

Japanese artist Mayumi Ishino, in her street performance [It's Not Me It's You] unpacks the traditional notion of self-portrait and adds in an exploration of the effects of time and impermanence.

Her provocative piece will be performed on September 4th, 5th, 6th and 19th at the corner of North 3rd and Church in Old City.

Acclaimed by ArtInfo as a "cross between zen ritual and fluxus fun", Ishino's work interweaves the figurative finesse of her studio art practice with the spontaneity of live performance.

At this year's Philly Fringe she presents an adaptation of a piece previously seen in New York, Berlin and Jakarta.

"My work pushes against the subconscious desire for permanence and the fear of change and loss."

Seemingly indifferent to her observers, Ishino generates a sphere of heightened intensity as she draws her self-portraits on a moving surface. Her engagement compels a kind of intimacy, which is then shattered by the sudden detachment that challenges the audience's involuntary expectation of secure continuity. She repeats the process, suggesting transience as well as the renewal that is propelled by destruction.

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