Meaningful Absurd

Something that had currently developed a lot of absurd meaning for Paige was the U of R's Parking Administration. It's a well known fact on campus that Parking Services truly exemplifie the money draining nature of the already exorbitantly expensive University. (Most other colleges have free parking!) After purchasing a pricey parking permit to have a spot that's inevitably 1 mile from anywhere you need to be, Parking Services go out of there way to give excessive $20-$200 tickets for whatever parking violation they see fit. The catch is that you can't receive your hard-earned diploma until you've paid off your parking tickets (whether or not they are deserved). To top that, when you do go to pay off a ticket, the staff is highly rude, somehow acting more irritated by the fact that you got the ticket than you are yourself!
After receiving her own fair share of parking tickets, Paige decided to experience a day in the life of a Parking "Cop." She scanned one of her own tickets and made dozens of copies. All of the violation information was cleared so that she wouldn't be traced back to the ticket. On the bottom though, she added something new, "You can't graduate 'til you pay us, sucka!"
Cloked in a hood, a shady looking Paige went around different parking lots, picking and choosing whichever cars she wished to ticket. She wasn't able to see the first hand reactions of those who were ticketed but she did hear some later feedback. A classmate angrily texted her after the day because she was tricked into believing she actually had an expensive parket ticket, until closely evaluating the slip. A few days later, one of Paige's co-workers had mentioned that her friend had received a bizarre parking ticket, thinking that it was actually the doing of Parking Services! One can only hope that Parking Administration recieved their fair share of complaints and dirty looks.

For the piggybacking assignment, Paige worked off of an Adrian Piper piece, "Whut Choo Lookin At, Mofo?" Piper, had changed her race from Caucasian to Hispanic by using both makeup and costume, and facial and body expression. Paige explained that in her past and present, she has been confused for a plethora of ranging races. These four that have been shown are the ones she has been mistaken for the most.

Paige Berkovitz

For the ritual project, Paige came in to class twiddling rubber balloons between her fingers. At first glance, a fellow classmate inquiried what she was doing to which Paige exclaimed, "I just really love how rubber feels!" Obviously, confusion was felt by the classmate. Throughout the class, Paige continued twirling a bunch of balloons, even though most of the class didn't realize. Eventually, as the class progressed, she began taping the balloons to the wall. The balloons had writing on them such as, "You can't stop!," and "I <3 Rubber!" As the class continued and others presented projects Paige began popping balloons slowly, one after the other.--Eventually, almost of the balloons were popped with the exception of a few; specifically, the ones which expressed that there was no end to the rubber fetish.
The ritual Paige was inacting was that of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. She explained that she had worked with a child in a psychology research lab that was obsessed with rubber, compulsively playing with it to the point of being bribed with rubber to participate in activities. The balloons represented the obsessive thoughts while the twiddling during the class displayed the manifestation of those thoughts, the compulsions. The popping of the balloons was meant to depict an effort to overcome the OCD. In the end though, the never ending concept of the ritual was displayed in the notion that there were still balloons (or obsessions) that were inflated, very much so alive.

Lyuda Didovets

THE IDENTITY PROJECT

For one week Lyuda became Sarah, an Amish girl living through a period of her life known as "rumspringa". During this week she sewed her own Amish outfit, consisting of a long skirt, long-sleeved shirt, and bonnet. Doing her best to not use technology or electricity, she did work under the light of candles and washed her clothes by hand. Lyuda also kept a journal of what it was like having to make a decision choosing her way of life and the many thoughts going through her mind during this time. One of the greatest lessons of the Amish religion is that of humility, and one Lyuda got to experience first hand by living as Sarah this enitire week.

THE PIGGYBACKING PROJECT

Lyuda set up a body print making workshop in a residence hall, inviting students to make their own prints with their bodies. The main theme was the heart chakra which is green and the chakra of 2008. This project allowed people to explore the different paintings they could make using their bodies and encouraged looking into new ways to utilise one's body. In in this project Lyuda was piggybacking artist Annie Sprinkle, who made beautiful breast and belly prints.

PICK UR PLASTIC

For this performance, Lyuda Didovets stood on a black plastic crate in a popular food location at her school. Wearing a black sports bra and black shorts, she also had a strip of black paper over her eyes, making it so that she was unable to see the people around her. On a table next to her was a sign asking for those passing by to help her choose parts of her body that should be altered and circle or mark them using markers. Another sign was an advertisement from a local radio state that read "PICK UR Plastic" and described a contest in which one of the possible prizes was $10,000 of plastic surgery. The main point she was trying to convey wasn't that she hated her body or supported the contest, rather that we are being pushed to want to change our bodies and believe that they aren't pretty or skinny enough. Instead of being taught to love our bodies and appreciate what they do for us we cringe at the thought of showing them off and some of us even go so far as to starve or abuse our bodies to change them.

Please note that the following advertisement is REAL. It is not manipulated in any way by the artist:


In her peformance, Didovets claims that, "The contest is back! Offering an even greater amount of plastic surgery to those lucky enough to care."

Lyuda Didovets' "Free Food"

In this public art intervention, Lyuda Didovets provided a healthy alternative to campus food. In order to do this, she wrapped scores of packages that held vegetable seeds and planting directions so that students could grow their own lettuce, peppers, carrots, and celery. The packages were left in various places throughout campus.

Lauren Schleider

In this performance, Lauren Schleider tried to physically express emotion by chopping onions and eating wasabi while listening to a looped soundtrack of Andrea Bocelli.
Her act became an emotional prosthetic, one that simultaneously produced authentic and inauthentic results.

Geoff Bennington's "Anti-Recycling March"

In the final week of the semester, Geoff Bennington staged an "Anti-Recycling" march across campus with the idea that, if the general public is ignoring pleas for responsible environmental practice, perhaps they'll listen if the argument is reversed. The protesters chanted things like "What are we against? Recycling! What are we going to do? Throw it out!" The posters made statements like "Recycling takes energy, too!", "Plastic is Stronger than Paper!", and "They Threw Out My Baby!"

60 Seconds of Relaxation by Connie Shieh

Connie Shieh set up a "relaxation booth" in the middle of campus as a free service for those who needed a break from their frantic schedules and stressful lives. Inside, her clients were were encouraged to take a moment to relax in a private chamber marked by illuminated, white, sheets. The clients were invited to sit and put on noise-deafening headphones that played the sounds of the ocean. After several seconds, however, a narrator reminded the clients that there were 30 seconds left, then 15, then 10, then 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1. At that time, the narrator said that the 60 seconds of relaxation had expired. Shieh's intentions were to bring awareneess to the fact that many of us are victims to agendas that don't allow us to take care of ourselves.

Inspire Respire

Kristin set up a table with 300 balloons behind the table. The table was labeled with signs advertising free genetically modified air samples. Fellow classmates were passing out short explanations of the benefits of genetically modified air and encouraging them to get a free sample at the table. When a person approached the table, Kristin asked if they had ever tried Inspire Respire before. She had the subject blow into a balloon and 'tested' the balloon to see if they had been exposed to the air. Two things could happen at this point. If they had not been exposed to the air they would receive a free balloon followed by a explanation of the true intentions behind the project. The person was invited to sign a protest against Monsanto which would then be sent out to government representatives. If Kristin decided that someone had been exposed to Inspire Respire and was not currently on the list of purchasers, she signaled to her "Air Police," telling them that there seemed to be a problem. The Air Police would then take the subject to the side and threaten to take away all of their possessions and sue them for everything they had for stealing from the company. After scaring the subject sufficiently, the subject was provided with the explanation and the option to sign the protest against Monsanto.

The concept of patented air should be obviously ridiculous. Air is a life fueling force that is necessary to live. Putting a patent on air would presume that humans can control and own it. Food is another source of energy necessary for survival on even the most basic level. Yet, companies feel that they have the right to patent their genetically modified foods such a corn, tomatoes, potatoes, and soybean. Monsanto is the leading company of organic patents in the world with their patents totaling 674 and growing. Consumers have no rights in that these genetically modified foods legally require no labeling. Studies have shown that genetically modified foods cause gradual deterioration in organs of animals that are fed these foods. Monsanto presents itself as a corporation devoted to increasing the profits of small farmers. However, most crops go to feed not the poor, but to animal feed in already wealthy countries. Furthermore, Monsanto’s corn seeds are aggressive, blowing into other farmers’ fields and taking over. Monsanto sends their “Seed Police” in to test crops in the middle of the night. If a farmer is found with Monsanto crops which he has not paid for, they sue the farmer for massive amounts of money. Most of these are small farmers who do not have the money to pay legal fees, much less contribute their small earnings to the multibillion dollar corporation that is Monsanto. Monsanto is monopolizing the world’s food supply- and doing it with full government support. This is all happening without public knowledge or consent. Monsanto is currently fighting for a patent on selective breeding of pigs, isolating genes so that they produce bigger pigs with less feed needed. If this pattern keeps going, Monsanto will own our rights to all foods. This is an issue that we need to be aware of and take action against. Our future and the future of the human species depends on it. Please spread this information amongst your friends, or even people you don’t know. If you care to get more information, please visit the following websites:

http://www.organicconsumers.org/monlink.cfm

http://www.monsantosucks.com/

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/05/monsanto200805

http://www.mcspotlight.org/beyond/companies/monsanto.html 

I Kinda Miss the Chemicals

Kristin began by making the class wait outside the room while she sat each person individually. The first person was seated on top of the middle table. She got her own special menu with specific instructions. She was not to speak and could only eat with her hands. Each person after that was seated at one of the side tables with their backs to the center table. Upon entering, each person received a menu with instructions for the meal. (Feel free to look through the menu posted by the pictures). Each person was given a line that they could whisper such as, “Tomatoes are tomatoes,” or “Potatoes are potatoes,” or “Corn is corn.” and “Looks the same to me.” The actors at the side table could eat only with their utensils and were requested to eat all of their food. Once finished, they could turn their plates over to read the instructions on the back of the plate. One by one the class would finish, turn over their plates, read the instructions, and then put their head down. The performance ended when the center person finished and smiled for the camera!

This project was addressing the genetically modified food situation in the United States. Companies are not required to tell consumers that their food is genetically modified. Tomatoes, potatoes, and corn are the three products that are most often genetically modified. The person at the center table was fed completely organic food. She was separated to suggest the way many organic consumers find themselves to be. Organic foods have turned into a strange fad. They should be the only food that we eat, yet many people view these products as strange tasting and alien. The rest of the class was fed genetically modified foods. The heads placed on the plate at the end was to simulate the unknown long- term effects of eating GM foods. The purpose was not only to address the fact that the effects of GM foods are unknown, but also to celebrate the choices that organic food consumers make for themselves and the rest of humanity.

Hello My Name Is: Day One, Premed

More images to be added as the week progresses... Artist statement at end.

Pink Jesus

Artist statement: “Pink Jesus” is a performance art piece done by Cindy Paauw, which criticizes aspects of organized religion. Religious ritual starts off with a vast amount of meaning and history behind it, but through repetition and ignorance ritual starts to become an act devoid of significance. The mystery behind prayer seems to be whether or not they get answered, are received, and/or make a difference. This piece seeks to explore that question by using the pink Jesus eight ball. The audience was instructed to ask a question, and then shake the eight ball to receive an answer. Answers were given each time such as, “Believe, Let me ask my Dad, Sinner, For Christ’s Sake, No Chance In Hell, Yes my child, I Died For this, etc.” It was hysterical. The whole setup was designed in pink, inspired by the pink Jesus eight ball, and meant to add to the atmosphere of “religious fluff.” Communion was also a part of the piece, and one could have pink Gatorade and pink wafers (in place of wine and unleavened bread). This performance was part of an assignment in which the class was assigned to design a performance which is both meaningful and absurd. (JJV)

The Stroller Effect

Waiting for transportation in wilson commons

elevator contraption in wilson

Artist statement:

Sometimes the sentiment towards people with disabilities is that of pity, discouragement, “babying”, or fear. Through my experience with working with people with disabilities I have come to know them as people who have many creative skills and abilities, and who are willing to be independent and want to be able to advocate their own rights. I wanted this performance art piece to be representative of the crippling effect, authority figures/family members can have on people with disabilities by treating them as incompetent or weak. To spread more positive information, cards were handed out with facts disproving common misconceptions about people with disabilties.

Ex:

Myth 2: All persons who use wheelchairs are chronically ill or sickly.

Fact: The association between wheelchair use and illness may have evolved through hospitals using wheelchairs to transport sick people. A person may use a wheelchair for a variety of reasons, none of which may have anything to do with lingering illness.

Myth 3: Wheelchair use is confining; people who use wheelchairs are "wheelchair-bound."

Fact: A wheelchair, like a bicycle or an automobile, is a personal assistive device that enables someone to get around.

Myth 4: All persons with hearing disabilities can read lips.

Fact: Lip-reading skills vary among people who use them and are never entirely reliable.

Myth 6: People with disabilities are more comfortable with "their own kind."

Fact: In the past, grouping people with disabilities in separate schools and institutions reinforced this misconception. Today, many people with disabilities take advantage of new opportunities to join mainstream society.

Myth 8: Curious children should never ask people about their disabilities.

Fact: Many children have a natural, uninhibited curiosity and may ask questions that some adults consider embarrassing. But scolding curious children may make them think having a disability is "wrong" or "bad." Most people with disabilities won't mind answering a child's question.

Source:http://www.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=ntl_myths_facts

-Juanita Jenny Viera

we've received orders not to move

Three people were kneeling in a row with an audio box in front of them. The people wore vintage dresses and aprons. The aprons were white with a pattern ofsmall pink flowers. Each of these flowers was pierced with a safety pin, which was open. The audio was the sound of chains with voices repeating “we have received orders not to move”.This piece was a meditation on gender control both from within and without. Increating the piece I attempted to fill the gender roles women are meant to fill and, in doing so, forced myself to confront my failings in this area. I used inherited sewing kits from my grandmother and great grandmother to sew the aprons by hand despite having no sewing knowledge or experience. The kneeling position of the performers references the sexual roles and expectations which are placed upon women. In both the making of the aprons and the kneeling, I failed according to traditional standards – I was not able to kneel for hours on the end and the stitching on the aprons was inconsistent and flawed. The open safety pins are a visual representation of the pain involved with fulfilling traditional gender roles. The pink flowers are representative of feminine innocence, while the open safety pins express the pain involved when this fantasy of purity is pierced with reality. The audio states “we have received orders not to move”, the voice could belong to one of the people kneeling or from an outsider – this was left purposefully ambiguous. Either way, the people have chosen to obey their orders and, in doing so, intentionally torture themselves.

Hajji

It was just after 9-11 when Hart Viges joined the Army and the start of the occupation. He entered Iraq in March 2003. As a mortar man, he had his first taste of what he calls the loss of humanity that comes with war, when he helped set up rounds aimed at civilian neighborhoods in a small town on the way to Baghdad. He felt his humanity further slipping away when he fell into the habit of labeling everything with the racist epithet, "hajji." His testimony includes stories of raids on the wrong houses, which resulted in prolonged detention of innocent people, and his refusal to pose for a photo with a dead Iraqi man found lying in the road, not because he was disturbed by the death, but because it wasn't his kill. Later, he found a moment of clarity in the midst of chaos. Training his gun site on the face of a man standing in a doorway with an RPG strapped to his back, he saw an expression of fear and confusion that he understood to mirror his own. He didn't pull the trigger.

In this group performance, four soldiers push a “Hajji” back and forth, forcing the anonymous figure to carry a large, branded rock. This happens, in silence, until the “Hajji” can’t hold it any longer and falls to the ground. The began with the intention of addressing the role that racism plays in war that requires soldiers to dehumanize the enemy. A single set of headphones dangled from a wooden stand in the case that anyone was curious enough to put them on and listen. The soundtrack played the horrific testimonies of the Winter Soldiers—testimonies spoken directly from the mouths of Iraq War veterans, all of whom have defied the pressure to remain silent. While the soldiers pushed the "Hajji" back and forth, three plain-clothed participants passed out pamphlets describing what was happneing and how people could obtain more information:

http://ivaw.org/wintersoldier/testimony/video

Jessica Sheu

AsIs Gallery Opening

Lyuda Didovets

Lyuda showed her own personal relaxation ritual with a combination of yoga poses and Christian prayers. The setting resembled that of her room typically during this exercise, candles and incense burning, soothing music playing, and Christmas lights hanging from the ceiling. Emphasis of the piece was on finding a ritual or method of relaxation that works for oneself, implementing pieces from different practices, even if it goes against what one has been taught.

Jenny Viera, "Paint Your Own Bible!"

“Paint Your Own Bible!”
Performance Art Piece by Juanita Jenny Viera
Time: Approx. 20 min.

Description: The table is set up with four bibles on each side, one at the front of the table, and one at the end. There are tea light candles in front of each bible. I am dressed in a conservative outfit consisting of a skirt, blouse, and white blazer, and my feet are bare. I commenced the performance by opening some oil paints and slowly painting the cover of the Bible in front of me. I let the audience decided whether they want to use the materials in front of them to start painting their own Bibles. The whole group was hesitant. Then I began spray painting the edges of my Bible with red spray paint. This initiated a few other people to start decorating their Bibles with watercolor, acrylic, oil, and spray paint. Some chose not to touch the actual text of their Bible, and instead they ripped out the dedication page, or table of contents, and painted on that. As this activity went on, the audio component of my piece could be heard throughout the room. I recorded three days worth of prayers that I had made on a tape recorder. Each time one of the prayers ended, I would say “Amen” and then continue painting my Bible. When the last prayer was heard, I knelt at the front of the table and said “Amen.” I went over to my book bag, and took out a pair of jeans, a hooded black sweatshirt, earrings and some sneakers. I transformed before the class into how I usually dress, and then I began to paint my nails black. When the change was complete I took my painted Bible, put it into my backpack, and exited the room. This signaled the end of my performance.


Artist’s Statement: This piece was inspired by my thoughts on ritual, religion, and tradition. I realized that as I had grown up in the Pentecostal religion, there were many aspects of it that I didn’t comprehend or agree with. I was told to wear skirts only, never dye or cut my hair, never paint my nails, not to dance, or listen to secular music, or swim, etc, I didn’t understand these restrictions and how they kept one close to God and separate from the world. I wanted to be a part of the world, because I had to live in it. Getting accepted into a performance arts high school changed my perspective profoundly. I realized that in a sense my religion was keeping me from culture. I learned that being close to God, or just maintaining a healthy spiritual life, does not have to consist of following a set of rules, but of one’s own searching and desire to know God and love him, and love others. I have learned metaphorically, paint the Bible in my own colors, in colors that I can understand and find beautiful. I find the testimonies of Jesus being open-minded and kind-hearted to all individuals deeply meaningful, and this is what I have chosen to focus on, not on the discrimination and guilt that people have taught me through their interpretations of the Bible.

This performance was not only a challenge for me in that it forced me to question my beliefs, and why I pray and read the Bible. It was also a challenge to my audience. The amount of knowledge and respect for the Bible was tested by the pressure I added unto my audience to paint on their Bibles. Revelation ends with these verses:
For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and [from] the things which are written in this book.
So there is an explicit warning against adding or taking away from the Bible, in the Bible itself. Despite this, I feel like the Bible is very subjective and has been used for good and harm. We all create our own meaning, and our sense of what it means to be alive, and who/what it is that’s above us.
The changing of my clothes symbolized the way I had transitioned from being a part of a religious community and into being a part of my peers at high school. It also was representative of the struggle I faced as I tried to embrace what I really wanted to wear, instead of what I had to. I think that humans are the only ones concerned which superficial issues and a higher beings would think of this as vanity.
The end product of my performance shows that this process of finding one’s own faith and meaning can be beautiful. Just as all the painted and not painted Bibles are.