Peeka BB, 2015 in motion.
The Joker is Wild, 2015. Littman Gallery Installation and Performance at Mother Foucault’s.
Littman Gallery
I. Crying Game, 2015 is a monument. It is an abstract “fountain” portrait with tears streaming through a set of eyes. The head of the sculpture is a clear fountain that sits upon the shoulders of concaved mirrors that is set on a jute vessel. Invisible to the eye, ultramarine pigment is applied within the jute vessel body. This pigment is in reference to the lapis lazuli trade routes. Hanging on the outer walls of the jute vessel are hand-formed clay imperfections. These tears cycle by repeatedly playing life’s tragedy and comedy.
II. Nodding to the golden fiber, jute. Jute was used in ancient lapis lazuli trade routes. Wrapped within the jute is ultramarine. In Latin, ultramarinus translates to "beyond the sea”, a reference to the lapis lazuli trade routes and the arts. It is both exposed and concealed in the work, leaving the viewer to gaze at jute knobs and abstractions created on each of small works of stretched jute, while ultramarine (the pigment made from lapis lazuli) paintings hide within, facing the wall. The main piece, TJIW exposes its full ultramarine back to the viewer, revealing hand-formed clay imperfections. Peeka BB’s painted black gouache shadows and jute forms stretch across the front of the jute canvas, while several layers of ultramarine are painted on the hidden inner face of the stretched cotton canvas. Attached to the lower right corner of the jute canvas is a digitally-programmed kinetic “tail” attached to a jute knob. This knob bobs and sways out from behind the lower left corner of the jute canvas, flashing and peeking out at the viewer. The arduino is timed at different intervals, animating the knob as a playful character that plays peek-a-boo with the viewer from behind the canvas. For Crying Game I cut and shaped clear acrylic, fashioning an abstract portrait “fountain” with clear water filtering, bending and cycling through a set of eyes. The “tears” trickle in and are pumped back out of the center of the mirror, recycling themselves over and over in a repeating play of tragedy and comedy.
The Joker is Wild. I choreographed a performance at Mother Foucault’s Books.
Created tattoos for each performer to articulate their roles.
New Performances : The Joker is Wild
A twist of belle epoque with a dash of bubo black.
Layers of funny ~ frowns ~ or of that sort.
The Cast of Characters:
The Cryer: Charles Boardman
The Pianist: Mary Sutton
The Mime: Brighid Thomas
The Joker: Midori Hirose
The Cutters: L.K. & Missy Hayward Ladygo
The Passers: Sean Pierce Sumler & Trey Glenn Hudson
The Lake of Fire: Davis Hooker
The Maniacal: Tony Remple
The Sport: Dana Jewell
The Conductor: Taryn Tomasello
The Voyeur: Nick Bindeman