Performance is still at the heart of what I love to do. Here are a few.
Hunk, & Dora (2006)
An interactive performance and installation involving one woman inside of a 14-foot paper brick tower. Over 2,000 bricks were made from handmade paper of abaca, cotton, and linen, then glued in sections and hung from the ceiling. 14-foot tower, 6-foot doorway. The performance involved drawing comic portraits of each guest onto loose bricks, given away to over 100 people. Another self-portrait in a series, this was a manifestation of the interior walls we build inside of ourselves for protection. Generously supported by the Albert P. Weisman Memorial Scholarship Fund at Columbia College Chicago. Columbia College Chicago, April 2006. Performance duration: 4 hours.
Pulping abaca fiber in a Hollander beater Pulling pigmented sheets, two at a time Two sheets made on one mould 2-inch styrofoam cut into 3-part brick molds Wrapping bricks with damp paper Wrapping bricks with damp paper Drying bricks with fans Popping out 3-part molds from dry bricks Bricks piling up in the studio Sorting bricks by color and size Glued sections of wall Piercing bricks to prepare monofilament for hanging Corner of gallery for installation Shaped frame to begin hanging Hanging wall in sections Hanging wall in sections Hanging wall in sections Hanging wall in sections Completed installation View from inside Inside wall view, with guest book notes slipped into bricks Inside wall with guest book notes slipped into bricks Performance: drawing comics about guests as gifts on loose bricks
She Inhabits It (2006)
Installation and performance in a floating red barn. Copper & brass wire, husked walnuts, handmade paper, beeswax, rope, reclaimed lumber, violin strings, tacks, buried treasure, sewing kit, typewriter. This multi-part performance walked through rituals to personalize the site and make it safe. It involved a charcoal burial for a treasure chest, hanging and placing over a hundred walnuts in front of the site, weaving webs inside, and reconstructing the hayloft floor. The audience was provided handmade paper treasure maps made on site. Each map was unique, tracking a different path on the farm. The performance inhabited a building not originally part of the farm. While resonating a forgotten hayloft, the performer nested over the time capsule buried in the ground underneath. Art Harvest, Marquette, Nebraska, October 2006. Performance duration: 1.5 hours, two showings. Thanks to Art Farm.
The red barn, on risers Digging a hole to bury treasure, 5.5 feet deep Preparing paper for the maps: handmade on site, dyed with walnuts from the farm, coated beeswax. Printing maps on platen press Waxed, letterpress printed, walnut-dyed treasure map (2006). Edition of 150; 6.75 x 4.75″. Spinning new webs Lowering typed messages to the audience Improvised sound off of a theme Audience at performance, performer visible between beams
Footprint, rise (2005)
This piece gives body to absence, with sound elements based off of Brahms’ first piano rhapsody. Inside the piano bench is a recording of the clumsy rendition of this piano piece, by the violinist. On music stands throughout the room are handmade paper instructions for playing the piano to create a sound landscape. The performer guided people to listen to the piano bench and improvised off of the sounds inside the room. Site Unseen at the Chicago Cultural Center, November 2005. Performance duration: 3 hours.
Tracks (2004-2005)
This was a re-staging of a 2004 performance, where audience members contributed stories of personal trips and journeys, which accumulated over time via improvised sound on the violin. Here, on the 11th Street Bridge and Museum Campus, the stories are carried through sound, with vocalist Shana Harvey, while the visual imprint remains of a handmade paper train (made of abaca and steel wire). Manifest 05, Chicago, IL, June 2005. 1 hour performance. Original performance at Chicago Cultural Center: 3 hours.
Costume made of abaca paper and steel wire Original performance at Chicago Cultural Center Reading story from audience member about personal journey Original performance at Chicago Cultural Center Audience member sharing story of personal journey, on handmade paper Audience member sharing story of personal journey, on handmade paper Improvising sound version of written stories from audience