I finally got a chance to see Alexis Mitchell’s excellent 2010 video CAMP, which includes great footage of the 2009 JFREJ Purimspiel “Lower East Shushan: A Purim of Vacant Lots.” So smart! I highly recommend checking it out or programming it if you do that kinda thing. More info: http://alexismitchell.com/camp.html

From Alexis:

CAMP is a 3-part, single channel, experimental, video essay exploring the secrets that underscore my personal relationship to Jewish history and culture. Through a look at 3 camp environments, I engage with a queer re-telling of the traditional Purim story, the censored passages in Anne Frank’s diary, and a haircut given to me by my grandfather in order to reveal the ways in which these secrets haunt the surface of our cultural moments. CAMP is framed through a play on the word ‘camp’ utilizing a camp sensibility amidst an analysis of temporary built environments. Through this frame I engage with what we choose to keep hidden in these contemporary moments, and point to a larger fear of speaking out against injustice as a cause for silence.