Performance At Mucsarnok

I had the great chance to perform exhibit at the museum of modern art of Budapest, Hungary.  I performed with the groups asztaltarsasag and "fanzine show" both of these groups were part of a larger show "No one belongs here more than you."

I have some pictures of the performance, where I performed together with 5 other artists.  I was talking about my Nümod project and giving demonstrations of the nümod rituals. The works I displayed in the fanzine show are from my visual diary, which you can find a link to on the top of this blog.  The fanzine show link is the best... click on it.

Artist Statement

First, I seek to see the world through a pseudo-spiritual shamanistic view point, where every material and interaction has a greater meaning regarding the overall collective state of human and nature.  Then, I try to look and find the shadow cast.  The shadows which we often try to deny within ourselves, and the extension of ourselves into our environment through the triumphs of civilization.  When I say shadows, I mean the byproducts of modernization including, mental illness, pollution, and war.  We have a tendency to push these shadows away; with the motto “out of sight out of mind”.  Within my art, I attempt to restore the  growing imbalance through fully embracing our shadows.  To accept the conditions in which we live  and use our flaws to advantage.  Thus, it is with the most physical manifestation of our shadow side that I use as sculpting material--Trash.  This abundant material I craft into costumes, instruments, structures, vehicles and masks. Materials of darkness are crafted into objects of light.  Providing me with a useful means to incorporate “shadow” into an identity that embraces the full spectrum of human civilization.  Communicating the less physically tangible shadows of mental illness and war.

We are living in Critical times and therefore need to be Critical.

Crit-i-cal

  

1.               inclined to find fault or to judge with severity, often too readily. 

2.               occupied with or skilled in criticism. 

3.               involving skillful judgment as to truth, merit, etc.; judicial: a critical analysis. 

4.               of or pertaining to critics or criticism: critical essays. 

5.               providing textual variants, proposed emendations, etc.: a critical edition of Chaucer. 

6.               pertaining to or of the nature of a crisis: a critical shortage of food. 

7.               of decisive importance with respect to the outcome; crucial: a critical moment. 

8.               of essential importance; indispensable: a critical ingredient. 

9.               Medicine/Medical. Having unstable and abnormal vital signs and other unfavorable indicators.

10.               Physics. 

a.               pertaining to a state, value, or quantity at which one or more properties of a substance or system undergo a change. 

b.               (of fissionable material) having enough mass to sustain a chain reaction. 

Yoruba Ritual

I began my freshman year in college at SUNY Purchase. There they have a permanent exhibition of african art.  It was from this exhibition that my brain really began to turn.  It was here that  I considered the pratical applications of performance art. The origins of peformance art. The spiritual meaning of costume and mask, and the meaning behind embodying the traits and characteristics of a spirit/demon.  I began to consider the application of these rituals to my life, time and world.  I realized that these performances allowed for a release of the bad energies or the demons of a group of people.  It brought to the front the reality of the human experience.  Energies that can only be felt, where personified in the costumed transformation of the actor.  The actor took on these qualities that could not be said with words.  And gave them movement and life.  For a child this actor really was, the spirit.  Like a child of western civilization really believes that he sits on santa's lap.  For the adult it is understood that this spirit actor is not the spirit, but embodies the same vibe of the spirit.  How can we understand the spirits of our time.  What are the spirits of our time and how do we represent them.  In what objects did the spirit demons of our society manifest.   It was in the things that we wish to separate ourselves from. To distance and to push away.  Junk. This way junk can become the material to be used in the costumes that explain the essence of the demons of modern society.

Please follow this link and find the video of the Yurba tribe ritual: Link. 

S.S.P. Trash Raft

Maybe like this, but bigger. That way we can fit a party on the raft.  Perhaps a musical performance!  Only down side is we won't be able to make tips! (unless there are other rafters and boaters floating around.)

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-build-a-Boat-made-of-Trash--Recyclables/

"So I found these three 4X8X2 Extruded Polystyrene sheets in a dumpster."

http://www.instructables.com/id/Raft-Action!/

Not as cool, less sustainable....but nice cheap canoe design. 

http://zinelibrary.info/files/ccanoeUS.pdf

Junk Ship

In protest of the massive amounts of trash being dumped into the Pacific Ocean, Dr. Marcus Eriksen and his team of like minded supporters have put together a boat to sail 2000 miles from the California coast to Honolulu, Hawaii to help raise an awareness for this problem. Piloting their vessel made from motor-less craft from 15,000 recycled bottles, fishing nets, and a Cessna cockpit, they are sailing 2,000 miles to raise awareness for the problem. With a little less than 1000 miles to go, they expect to arrive finish the trip in a couple weeks.

"Yes, we are risking our lives, but the issue of petroleum-based plastic and our national dependence on petroleum, warrant urgent action," explained Dr. Eriksen on the teams blog.

Nümod: Sea Gypsy

The Danube river floods at the end of march.  The Nümods are drawing up plans.