Works » By Title » A » At the Corner of Alive and Jesus (30:00 / 1987)

“At the corner of Alive and Jesus” chronicles the ego/emotional states of Barbara, whose appetite for life is gargantuan. She is a person who pushes the limits of existence, making a loud statement of self as an antidote for her own fear. The story is a rich allegory of an internal odyssey, a personal search for growth and meaning as Barbara passes through her hell filled with terrifying creatures and finds salvation in diligence and in acceptance of life's offerings. “At the corner of Alive and Jesus” hovers between ‘reality’ and the dream. Frequently these scenes take place in the same locations as ‘normal’ ones. However, something funny is going on here. Animals crash through Barbara's domesticity, time lapse vegetation hurtles and roars through growth and decay, the velvet moth dances translucently and the tiny woman, once a gold fingernail ornament, emerges to life. Finally, the tickling essence of being creeps into Barbara's soul, entering under a toenail, and her heart which had stopped, starts beating once more. In 1987 composer Barbara Golden commissioned writer Melody Sumner to create a story to be put to music. Together they produced the cantata/fable “At the corner of Alive and Jesus” which has been performed as an enhanced concert at New Langton Arts in San Francisco and at New Pieces in Berkeley. (Text: Melody Sumner, ASCAP) BG