Frameworks | Moving Assemblage: Tropic Off Limits

F R /\ M E W O R K S is an interdisciplinary music series for 2025 designed to take audiences on an adventurous cultural and artistic journey in the state-of-the-art A-Frame Theater of the Glorya Kaufman Community Center, on the campus of the Wende Museum. The series merges creative disciplines, from film and dance to poetry and music, and takes inspiration from the collection and exhibitions of the Wende.

Tropic Off Limits is an exploration into how automation creates spaces of exclusion. It takes inspiration from The Red Poppy, a Soviet ballet from 1927 set in a Chinese port, and reframes its ideological conflicts to examine techno-utopian visions of space, individuation, and the politics of labor. This installation-performance traces the tensions between control and freedom in an increasingly automated world.

Daniel Gower and Dany Naierman are a queer artist duo (aka DANyDANY), collaborating since 2008 on music, multimedia, film, and performance art projects. Often working alongside other artists, their practice is guided through experimental storytelling.

The performance will be preceded by a garden DJ set by Max Gordy, accompanied by a reception.

Tropic Off Limits is a performance by the group Moving Assemblage.

Credits:

Sound Designer/Composer/Performer: Daniel Gower (he/him)

Director/Performer: Dany Naierman (he/they)

Scenic Design Consultant: Tanya Orellana (she/her) – designs scenic spaces for theatre, opera, and immersive experiences.

Performer: Pia Sazani (any pronouns) – a writer, artist, and educator based in Oakland.

Note: The performance includes dim lighting, strobe and flashing, and quiet and loud moments.