In Tarps I Trust is a dance work by Laura Gutierrez inspired by themes of labor, specifically blue-collar jobs. The work explores the physical labor Gutierrez witnessed throughout her father’s career as a billboard painter, highlighting the materials that were ever present growing up in her household, such as tarps, ladders, and ratchet straps.
Using her father’s materials, Gutierrez focuses on their awkward and imposing nature, before gradually incorporating them into dance and movement phrases such that they become partners in space. The performance was workshopped in the Summer of 2023 as part of a DiverseWorks residency, produced in collaboration with MECA.
In Tarps I Trust is an innovative dance work that also creates a platform for dialogue around how different forms of labor are valued, or undervalued, including the work of artists. This theme will be further explored in a panel discussion and an exhibition of the work of Anthony Almendarez, Hello My Name Is _____ March 1-16, 2024.