“What We Heard of Screaming” is a collection of paintings, costumery, and ceremonial artifacts put together through the interdisciplinary efforts of The Velvet Noose. Many of the pieces collected for this exhibition have been utilized during live performances, serving as touchstones for the troupe’s immersive arts experiences. 

When Rivkah Simcha joined Harold Taddy and Theo Trombulak as The Velvet Noose in 2019, the troupe began to create canvas scrolls in india ink as expressions of poetic lore. The scrolls depict symbols that emerged from within the creative interplay of text and image, movement and relationship, laying a map of connection between troupe members. During live performances, finished scrolls are cradled, displayed, interpreted through vocalization, and draped, often tenderly and violently, over peoples’ bodies. 

In preparation for The Velvet Noose’s performance at the MuCCC for the 2019 Rochester Fringe Festival, Rivkah reinterpreted the major arcana of the tarot as a guiding visual theme. Names of the cards were chanted by troupe members, who physically embodied scenes from the tarot in dance arrangements and poses. These ink images were printed and distributed as cards to audience members, signaling an invitation for interaction during the performance. Many cards feature costumery and regalia that have been prominent in The Velvet Noose performances since the troupe’s creation by Harold and Theo in 2017. 

The Velvet Noose, Mother of Thousands at the 2021 Rochester Fringe Festival, Photo by Annette Dragon Photography