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A story about love, art, and the 2008 financial crisis
Towards the end of the 18th century, twenty-four traders would meet under a tree to buy and sell shares. The tree was located at 68 Wall Street, so called because of a wall that used to mark the northern limits of the colony of New Amsterdam, on the Island of Manhattan.
On May 17, 1792, the twenty-four brokers signed, beneath the tree, the Buttonwood Agreement. This marked the foundation of the New York Stock Exchange, and the birth of Wall Street.
Today, the tree on Wall Street has long since fallen. And the twenty-four traders? transactions, brokered in the shade of a plane tree, have become complex to the point of being almost intangible and immaterial.
Finance has become an abstraction. And it pervades every sphere of our lives. Including contemporary art. Especially contemporary art.
This love story, based on documentary research, follows a struggling artist and an opportunistic hedge fund manager. As Lehman Brothers falls and two worlds collide, we explore the darkest corners of the contemporary art scene, the global economy, and two broken hearts.
“What makes art valuable? How do we value art? How do we value ourselves? These are the themes that run through The Art of the Fall, a compelling and engaging play that dissects the financial crisis of 2008 through the lens of the contemporary art world. […] The Art of the Fall left me disturbed, enlightened, and seriously questioning the value of art in a world where a shark in formaldehyde can be worth twelve million dollars.” (Alexandria Haber, Montréal Review of Books)
“Virtually every scene reveals the workings of the art world or unpacks an economic episode or principle. […] The play has the rhythm and complexity of the finest stories, the inventiveness and zaniness of a saga. We can almost never predict how the story will unfold.” (Josianne Desloges, Le Soleil newspaper)
“This remarkable production proposes an emotional but rational incursion into the surreal world of big business. […] Jean-Philippe Joubert, through his control of the pacing, his impeccable direction of the actors, his precision in the exchanges and the actors’ transformations, delights the public. The audience leaves the play with its head full of ideas, emotions, and powerful images that won’t let go.” (Alain-Martin Richard, Jeu theatre review magazine)
“[The Art of the Fall] brings together an impressive collective of creative minds around the themes of art and the economy: are these spheres really so very far removed from one another? Cerebral and dry though the premise might first appear, the result is nevertheless a performance of remarkable depth.” (Simon Lambert, Le Devoir newspaper)
150 Pages
8.00in * 5.00in * .70in
200.00gr
April 01, 2020
9781771862110
eng
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