Go on, tell us then... Who is this Astariel bloke?
Astariel is the creation of London based performance artist, Allan Taylor. Believing strongly in the differentiation between performer and self, and exploring notions of whether you can be your ‘real self’ on stage, Allan describes Astariel as a facet of his personality rather than an alternate character. Whether or not Astariel is the better side remains to be seen!
So Astariel is a psuedonym?
Not strictly. It’s actually one of his middle names.
Sounds weird... Is he schizophrenic?
Possibly. Probably.
So the music thing and... Performance Art? Huh?
Astariel started off as a musician, but then started incorporating performance pieces into his set list. Traditional indie crowds gave him a mixed reaction; a cross between an avant garde popstar and Adam Ant left them confused. Moving into live art, he found his practice was much more accepted. Although he continues to explore fully written music and the occasional cabaret piece, Astariel’s focus is also on how music can affect performance; how it changes speech, movement and atmosphere. Taking his cue from Laurie Anderson, Astariel took her torch and ran with it in the direction of what he calls ‘macabaret’ (as in macabre cabaret), and mixes elements of performers such as Klaus Nomi.
So there’s always music?
Not always. Astariel is also about how mask and facade can enable/ disable certain roles, as well as embraced effeminacy and an internal struggle of gender (see Maquillage for example). Astariel presents a very strange masculinity and an ugly beauty to confront audiences with what they’re comfortable with. His work is often heavily politicised, existential, confrontational and dangerous.
Sounds interesting. Can I see it?
Sure! Just go to the performance art and music sections of this website. Check out if there are any upcoming shows in your area, and if you want contact him directly for more info!
Oh, and add him as a friend on MySpace at www.myspace.com/astariel
Nice self promotion.
Cheers. NOW DO IT!
