We All Bleed Red
This past Friday night, members of the Exeter community gathered in Agora for the opening night of We All Bleed Red, a student-run multimedia arts project centered around the theme of identity. Students and faculty performed musical pieces, spoken word and poetry to express their own interpretation of “We All Bleed Red” in the dimly lit Agora, whose walls were covered with more pieces of artwork and poetry.
“We all have our own identities and trying to understand that through art is really interesting.”
Senior Pedro Repsold De Sanson, an organizer of the event, said, “Opening night was so rewarding and embodied the community,” he said. “The topic [of] identity can be very vague and also very unique and personal.”
This year’s We All Bleed Red showcased a new screen test, which included interviews from seniors. He also reflected on the committee’s efforts to include a diverse range of voices in the video.
Repsold De Sanson found the diversity of voices featured in the screen test stunning. “By diverse I mean, in addition to the upfront diversity, diversity of thought, diversity of background and all of those different underlying aspects of someone’s life,” he said.
The visual artwork and poems added additional uniqueness to one’s experience of the event. Senior Vivienne Kraus appreciated the art. “We all have our own identities and trying to understand that through art is really interesting,” she said. Senior Margaret Kraus also believed that “the art people can create can show you new sides to a person and overall help bring the community together.”
Lower Eman Noraga, another organizer for the event, shared Kraus’s feelings about delving deep into others’ identities. “It was interesting to see and hear these different stories from people, [and] if it hadn’t been for We All Bleed Red, we probably wouldn’t have heard them,” she said.
Prep Audrey Yin, who performed a song during the event, felt that the night’s theme contributed to a feeling of comfort in the room. “At first, I was hesitant on whether I should have explained why I chose this song or not, but then to look down and see so many different people just being there to support the cause, it felt like a really warm and happy environment,” she said.
Event organizer and upper Jeremy Xu said, “The main goal of this project in my eyes is the fact that there needs to be more solidarity amongst Exonians on campus a lot of the time.” Repsold De Sanson agreed, saying, “We All Bleed Red addresses this idea of first trying to recognize who someone is and the story behind them, before having preconceived notions.”
After the evening concluded, Vivienne Kraus said, “I think it’s a good theme, especially because some people can be more open and accepting towards certain identities in this day and age. It’s nice to be able to celebrate that as a group, the fact that we are all different and that it is part of what makes us Exeter.”