Carnegie Music Hall
November 21
8 p.m.
How many hearts does a squid have? What does the mating ritual of a preying mantis look like? Why do spiders have spinnerets?
Fans of Isabella Rossellini’s award-winning Sundance Channel series Green Porno won’t want to miss the Italian star’s provocative one-woman show on stage at Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland.
Adapted from her critically acclaimed series of short films that illuminate the mating rituals and behaviors of insects and marine life, Green Porno celebrates biodiversity via an enchanting performance-lecture that explores the intersection of art and science. There is perhaps no better setting for Rossellini’s quirky and informative performance than the elegant theater nestled between Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Museum of Art and Museum of Natural History.
The audience will be captivated by colorful costumes, sculptural props, projected illustrations, suggestive sound effects and Rossellini’s hypnotic narration, as the iconic actress enacts mating rituals of the dragonfly, spider, bee, praying mantis, earthworm, snail and more. Segments also explore issues surrounding the threat to ocean life posed by commercial fishing human interactions with bugs.
Launched in 2008, the clever series is conceived, written and directed by Rossellini, who is known for her roles in films such as Blue Velvet and Death Becomes Her, as well as her work as a Lancôme model. The first series garnered some four million views on YouTube.
Rossellini, who conducts research before each episode and then translates the scientific material into “something visual and comical,” created the cleverly titled show to be both entertaining and educational. Featuring paper and paste costumes and a unique visual style, Green Porno at times evokes a blend of Sesame Street, puppet shows and modern dance.
Arrive early to enjoy a drink in the Carnegie Music Hall’s ornate lobby and visit the Museum of Natural History’s After Dark event. Green Porno is co-presented by The Andy Warhol Museum and Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History.
