On Thursday, November 5, 2026, the University Art Gallery at UC Irvine will host a performance art double bill titled "Before the Look of Law." The event is scheduled from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. This double bill features two distinct pieces: "What is to be Done?" by Ethan Philbrick and "Formerly Incarcerated Huddle (After Simone Forti)" by Alberto Lule. UCI Illuminations is a co-sponsor of the event, alongside the UC Irvine Claire Trevor School of the Arts University Art Galleries (UAG), the Department of Art, UCI Critical Theory, the UCI LIFTED Program, and the Alec Glasser Center for the Power of Music & Social Change.
Ethan Philbrick's "What is to be Done?" is an experimental choral work. The performance is composed by New York-based Philbrick and draws source material from Vladimir Lenin's 1902 political pamphlet of the same name. This piece marks the third installment in a series of experimental choral works by Philbrick that meditate on "contested histories of utopian anti-capitalist critique." Previous works in the series include "Choral Marx" from 2018, which was based on Marx and Engels’s Manifesto for the Communist Party, and The Conquest of Bread from 2025, which drew from Peter Kropotkin's 1892 treatise. For this performance at UCI, a vocal ensemble comprising Mikaela Elson, Malik Gaines, and Kathryn Shuman will perform, accompanied by Philbrick on the cello. A volunteer choir will also participate. Attendees will have access to a broadside produced specifically for this performance.
Alberto Lule, one of the artists featured in the ongoing "Before the Look of Law" exhibition, will present "Formerly Incarcerated Huddle (After Simone Forti)." This work unfolds in three acts and involves six performers, including Lule himself, Ruben Alarcon, Sam Brown, Elijah Guerra, Anthony McDuffie, and Alejandro Maldonado. The piece is designed to reflect on the personal and collective experiences of law and order, specifically through the lens of individuals whose lives have been decisively impacted by incarceration.
The first act of Lule’s performance will reenact the procedure of an arrest. This transitions into the second act, which is based on Simone Forti’s "Huddle." In this segment, participants link their limbs to form a tight group, taking turns to climb across the top of the mass before descending to rejoin the cluster. The third act of "Formerly Incarcerated Huddle" will feature a discussion with the audience. For this presentation, the conversation will be conducted jointly by Lule and Philbrick. Philbrick has previously published work on Simone Forti and her "Huddle" concept.
Ethan Philbrick is identified as a cellist, artist, and writer. He currently serves as the curator-in-residence at The Poetry Project and is a member of the curatorial collective for Offerings, both located in New York City. In 2023, Philbrick published a book titled "Group Works: Art, Politics, and Collective Ambivalence" through Fordham University Press. He earned his PhD in Performance Studies from New York University.
Alberto Lule, based in Los Angeles, focuses his artistic practice on examining mass incarceration and the prison industrial complex. His work explores the intersections of these systems with issues such as immigration, homelessness, drug addiction, and mental health. Lule is an alumnus of UC Irvine, where he earned his MFA in Art. He is currently a PhD candidate in the Performance Studies Program at UCLA.
