Black Metal Patio

How do we fight fascism, climate collapse, pandemic minimization, Palestinian genocide, trans persecution, the prison industrial complex, and liberal complacency with all of the above? Certainly not with Pollyanna positivity. We need something more potent. We need to fight darkness with darkness. We need black metal.

The ecstasy of black metal obliteration comes to a cozy summer patio in this loud, interactive performance art installation. Donning corpse paint and a chef’s hat, Dave Maher dares audiences to tap into their rage before transforming it into culinary delight. In this combination of exorcism and anarchic cooking show, music will blare. Flames will rise. Screams will ring out in the Cleveland night. Bring your tastebuds.

"Black metal is for everyone.
Everyone, that is, who wants to listen to it, play it, think or write or make art about it...
Plenty of people don't need or want music that's noisy and evil. But black metal IS for ANYONE who does."
—Daniel Lukes and Stanimir Panayotov, "Black Metal Rainbows"

Recommended if you like: social experiments, heavy conversations held lightly, (antifascist) black metal, staring into the stinking maw of the world, chili.

DAVE MAHER is a performance artist and podcaster who comes to Cleveland from Chicago. He has acted on "The Bear," appeared on "This American Life," and performed genre-blending one-man shows at the Neo-Futurist Theater, Steppenwolf, and the Edinburgh Fringe. He interviews artists and activists about deaths on his podcast, "This Is Your Afterlife."