Garbage Puppet, by the Anatomy Collective for the CUL Orphan Works Performance Series, 2007. Photo by Eric Bartholomew.

The Chicago Underground Library brings back its re-interpretation series, Orphan Works, next Friday, June 12th; what is a re-interpretation series, you may ask? The answer begins with the inspired diligence of the Chicago Underground Library, which collects and catalogs Chicago’s independent and small-press media, ranging from local zines to found handmade books made by unknown hands. And so:

“The Chicago Underground Library brings a variety of the most creative minds in Chicago to locations all around the city to share with you the fruits of their forays into our collection of orphan works—anonymous works or those for which no further information on the author can be found. With the help of our intrepid explorers, these lost publications will be brought back to life: read, reinterpreted, and reunited with the audience they’ve been missing.”

Instead of performers, the CUL presents re-interpreters; instead of readings, reinventions. Orphan Works had an initial run in 2007, but we hope it’s back for as long as a “nomadic performance series” can be. Friday’s performance features work from the Anatomy Collective: read the interview from the Green Lantern with CUL’s Nell Taylor and Anatomy Collective’s Stephanie Acosta to warm up for the savvy energy you can expect from “Sad Sullen Girls and Other Such Squid.

What: The Chicago Underground Library Presents: Orphan Works
Sad Sullen Girls and Other Such Squid by the Anatomy Collective
Free, all ages welcome

“The side effects of a broken heart, the benefits of spooning, the emotional collateral of wasted time and the addiction of insomnia weave together in a satire that follows the misadventures and disenchantment of young women in America. Through a series of snapshots, Sullen Girls compiles the musing of several women fighting and failing to create original portraits of themselves during prolonged adolescence.”

When: Friday, June 12th
Two performances, 8pm and 9pm
(Audiences may come and go throughout the performances)

Where: TEMPLE
1749 S. Halsted Ave. (gate entrance 1747)
These performances take place during 2nd Fridays in the Pilsen Arts District

Taylor has written about her mission for the CUL: “Collecting ephemera is an act of city beautification.” What a beholder! To help CUL keep on dolling up Chicago, visit its website for volunteer opportunities, details on the library, and some feel-good philosophy about creating a living archive of the city.