"extraordinary" - New York Times
Leyya Mona Tawil is an artist working with dance and music practices. She is a Syrian-Palestinian-American engaged in the world as such. Tawil is the director of ELIXIR and TAC: Temescal Art Center. Her work has been presented in 16 countries and throughout the states. Her approach to experimental performance is based on conceptual scoring and location-based variables. Her work has been discussed and reviewed in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, American Theatre, NEA Art Talks, Movement Research's Critical Correspondence, and the PAJ: Journal of Performance and Art. She was a Columnist-in-Residence for SF MOMA's Open Space, and published an essay on Arab Experimentalism for Detroit Research Journal (Vol 2).
Tawil also performs under the moniker LIME RICKEY INTERNATIONAL (movement/voice/processing).
Leyya Mona Tawil is an artist working with dance and music practices. She is a Syrian-Palestinian-American engaged in the world as such. Tawil is the director of ELIXIR and TAC: Temescal Art Center. Her work has been presented in 16 countries and throughout the states. Her approach to experimental performance is based on conceptual scoring and location-based variables. Her work has been discussed and reviewed in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, American Theatre, NEA Art Talks, Movement Research's Critical Correspondence, and the PAJ: Journal of Performance and Art. She was a Columnist-in-Residence for SF MOMA's Open Space, and published an essay on Arab Experimentalism for Detroit Research Journal (Vol 2).
Tawil also performs under the moniker LIME RICKEY INTERNATIONAL (movement/voice/processing).
Tawil has been awarded a 2018 Saari Residency by the Kone Foundation (Finland). During her stay, she will be completing Lime Rickey International's Future Faith for its premiere at the Invisible Dog Art Center in November 2018.
Past Residencies include KUNST-STOFF arts (San Francisco), Detroit Contemporary (Detroit), NooderparkKamer (Amsterdam), Hotel Pupik (Austria), Studio Emad Eddin (Cairo) and Central City Artist Project (New Orleans). In 2014 and 2016, she was a SPAR resident artist at Pushkinskaya-10 Art Center in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Collaboration:
The mainstay of her work is collaboration with artists from multiple disciplines. She and Detroit-based violinist Mike Khoury have been collaborating for over a decade. Their record of work can be view here. Other primary collaborators include Dominic Cramp, Mike Guarino, Mark Gergis, Ava Mendoza, Hilary Jeffery, Manuela Tessi, Ricardo Esway and Lenny Gonzalez.
Tawil has articulated an approach to performance based on conceptual scoring for musicians and dancers. This practice has brought her into performances with many incredible musicians including Andrea Parkins, Jason Lescalleet, Ches Smith, Devin Hoff, Frank Gratkowski and Sarah Hennies. Her scores have been presented at the Bimhuis (Amsterdam), MOCAD (Detroit), Soweiso (Berlin), Arab American National Museum (Dearborn), Street Art Museum (St. Petersburg), Suomenlinna-Helsinki UNESCO World Heritage Site, TRANSPOSITIONS @ Museum of Nonconformist Art (St.Petersburg), The Front (New Orleans), Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (San Francisco), Thacher Gallery (San Francisco) and the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit.
Video/Film:
Her experimental films have been presented by SF MOMA - Open Space, The Flea (NYC), and Hotel Pupik (Austria); including "Quieting Heart: Attempt #5", which received the 510 Arts Best of Oakland award in 2010. A 2-DVD series of her collaborative work with Mike Khoury was created by Wil Soderburg and released on the Detroit Improvisation label.
Curation:
Leyya is the Director and Curator of TAC: Temescal Arts Center, a venue for experimental and emerging artists in Oakland, California. She co-produced the multi-venue SwapFest in 2013 and 2014, and was a co-curator of Summer of Art at UN Plaza in San Francisco (2012-13). In 2016, she launched an program of collaborative arts called ELIXIR @ ENTROPY, held at Entropy Stereo Recordings and Performance Space (Detroit). In 2018, she will produce the inaugural season of Arab AMP - Arab Avant Music Programme - a concert series at TAC showcasing national and international artists from the Arab Avant Garde.
Other Histories and Academics:
Tawil received her BDA from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, School of Music, and her MFA from Mills College-Oakland. Tawil has received numerous grants and awards including the University of Michigan 2008 Emerging Artist Award. From 2007-2009, Tawil was the Middlebury College (VT) Artist-In-Residence, and has also held faculty positions at the University of Michigan and University of San Francisco. She has taught interdisciplinary workshops worldwide, and has been commissioned by numerous universities throughout the states.
Photos:
Past Residencies include KUNST-STOFF arts (San Francisco), Detroit Contemporary (Detroit), NooderparkKamer (Amsterdam), Hotel Pupik (Austria), Studio Emad Eddin (Cairo) and Central City Artist Project (New Orleans). In 2014 and 2016, she was a SPAR resident artist at Pushkinskaya-10 Art Center in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Collaboration:
The mainstay of her work is collaboration with artists from multiple disciplines. She and Detroit-based violinist Mike Khoury have been collaborating for over a decade. Their record of work can be view here. Other primary collaborators include Dominic Cramp, Mike Guarino, Mark Gergis, Ava Mendoza, Hilary Jeffery, Manuela Tessi, Ricardo Esway and Lenny Gonzalez.
Tawil has articulated an approach to performance based on conceptual scoring for musicians and dancers. This practice has brought her into performances with many incredible musicians including Andrea Parkins, Jason Lescalleet, Ches Smith, Devin Hoff, Frank Gratkowski and Sarah Hennies. Her scores have been presented at the Bimhuis (Amsterdam), MOCAD (Detroit), Soweiso (Berlin), Arab American National Museum (Dearborn), Street Art Museum (St. Petersburg), Suomenlinna-Helsinki UNESCO World Heritage Site, TRANSPOSITIONS @ Museum of Nonconformist Art (St.Petersburg), The Front (New Orleans), Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (San Francisco), Thacher Gallery (San Francisco) and the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit.
Video/Film:
Her experimental films have been presented by SF MOMA - Open Space, The Flea (NYC), and Hotel Pupik (Austria); including "Quieting Heart: Attempt #5", which received the 510 Arts Best of Oakland award in 2010. A 2-DVD series of her collaborative work with Mike Khoury was created by Wil Soderburg and released on the Detroit Improvisation label.
Curation:
Leyya is the Director and Curator of TAC: Temescal Arts Center, a venue for experimental and emerging artists in Oakland, California. She co-produced the multi-venue SwapFest in 2013 and 2014, and was a co-curator of Summer of Art at UN Plaza in San Francisco (2012-13). In 2016, she launched an program of collaborative arts called ELIXIR @ ENTROPY, held at Entropy Stereo Recordings and Performance Space (Detroit). In 2018, she will produce the inaugural season of Arab AMP - Arab Avant Music Programme - a concert series at TAC showcasing national and international artists from the Arab Avant Garde.
Other Histories and Academics:
Tawil received her BDA from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, School of Music, and her MFA from Mills College-Oakland. Tawil has received numerous grants and awards including the University of Michigan 2008 Emerging Artist Award. From 2007-2009, Tawil was the Middlebury College (VT) Artist-In-Residence, and has also held faculty positions at the University of Michigan and University of San Francisco. She has taught interdisciplinary workshops worldwide, and has been commissioned by numerous universities throughout the states.
Photos:
