Project #4 – “Over consumption”

I really appreciated working with Anh on this project. I was having such a hard time coming up with something food based for this assignment, and I really enjoyed her focus on over consumption and that waste of food that we have here at Cornell.

My part of the performance was pretty simple. I wanted to do my best to portray the idealistic, oblivious consumer that just seemed really happy to be being used in such a way. I think that after the plastic wrap went on, I should have been far more serious. I thought it was interesting that some people rode along with our message, but others had sub-verse reactions to the performance. The only bit of food that was hard to stomach was the pasta salad for some reason. I had no problem having everything else thrown at me but that one was fairly hard to keep a straight face. I enjoyed the performance and what we were able to create. I do not know if I would do it again, just because it actually did take a lot out of me as a performer, but I would be willing to talk about it and maybe try something similar.

Project #3 – “Run Artist, Run”

When looking at the assignment, I focused really hard on the aspects of time and endurance. I wanted to show something that really pushed my physicality in a way that I hadn't done so before. In preparation I watched a lot of Rebecca Horn, which while really cool, did not really help me with the way that I wanted to go. Instead I noticed an image of Marina and her partner doing some running of some sort (couldn't find a video) which gave me the idea to run. I am out of practice so I knew it would provide a bit of a challenge but also be something that I might actually be able to complete. You don’t want to make something impossible to do because then you won’t even really try.  So then came the idea to add music. I didn't want words and I recently discovered and have been inspired by the Kronos quartet.  I used their song to provide an extra level of stop and go to the performance that gave me something to relate to. Someone said that I might have been better if I just ran, but the song gave me a much needed goal that I would not have been able to keep up by myself. I also think that just watching me run would have gotten boring after a while.

The performance itself went fairly well. I did at some ground rules and as my tired level went up, some of those become a bit fuzzy. If I were to perform this again I think I would want to dry run it or at least remain aware of those rules.  Other comments were about my music choice. Some people said that it was distracting, while others thought it kept it interesting. I have to agree with the second because again, as a performer it gave me some extra purpose. I do agree with the criticism that I should think more about my outfits, but this is what I had for the day so that can’t really be helped ;).

Overall I think the performance went really well. I think that the video could have been better but that was mostly my fault. Ideally, if I were to do this again I would pick a room about that wide, but have a better place for people to sit and louder music so that I heard it better over my running. 

All I Really Want....

This is how my brain 

functions/works/thinks/pretends to think 

about this class and the art from it

Second Performance Response Notes

Anh and Carissa: "Bubbles and Duck"
Great Visual use of time when we see the bubbles grow
Could be better with a larger, see-through tub (I have one ;) )
Loved the conversation that formed and how each of you played with the bubbles

Madi and Elliot: "You can't stop the music"
I got a reference to a pain piece because of the crawling and struggle
It all happened so fast and I would have liked to see the set-up
I loved the sound of the electric guitar being "played"

Ben and Madi: (absurd dance with peanut butter)
This was the most absurd but the most fun to watch
i appreciated the cyclical nature and the great amount of teamwork
Great use of noise with the jump rope, radio, and even the lip-smacking of peanut butter

Reo and Zoe'e: (hand games)
I appreciated that we could not see you perform
Reminded me of elementary school
Really enjoyed the laughter and kept me engaged in the rhythm
Could be pushed further with stronger clapping or including the audience

(I feel like I am missing something...)

"Terradiddle"

Materials:
Journal of words
Space
Audience

This performance was created and directed by Eve, but I'm glad I got to be included. I enjoyed the cyclical nature of walking around the tables, but I felt like it went on longer than it should have. I was surprised how the audience took to reading the definitions and turning the pages if they didn't know how to pronounce something or were just not interested in reading that specific word. We all had a sense of power over what was going on, but also left a lot up to chance.

Notes from the Audience:
Could have used harder words (or easier)
Had a very academic feel to it
It was fun to hear people struggle to pronounce the words
People caught the Mulan reference at the beginning
Great way to explore words

Orlan MeasuRAGE

 French Artist Orlan talking about her longest running, and probably most famous series of "performances"

"Soundscapers" (Second Performance)

Materials:
Portable Speaker and Mic
Tiny Speaker
Exhaust Pipe
Spare Change
Ocarina
Dulcimer
Jar with tacks
Bucket
Water bottle
one unexpected audience member

I really enjoy my partner's description of the performance, so I'm gonna barrow it ;)
"The performance began with feedback from the portable speaker while Haley played the ocarina upside down, producing a flat whistling tone like the solar winds. After an indeterminate amount of time Haley then shook the exhaust pipe, signifying entrance into the atmosphere, and I scraped the coins across the table. Because the microphone picking up the portable speaker sounds was on the table, it picked up the sound of the coins scraping the table and produced a reverberating feedback effect much like a low pitched flying saucer. This only happened in rehearsal, however, which was a tad disappointing.
Anyway, once Haley stopped shaking the exhaust pipe she grabbed the ocarina like a space gun and walked around the room shaking the jar of pins in a rhythmic fashion. I stood by and slid a quarter over the strings of the dulcimer, making a sound like idle alien gear. Haley then placed the bucket on the chosen audience member's head and brought her up to the main console (the table everything was set up on). She was then handed the ocarina and, to my surprise, began to play it. In retrospect it seems obvious but I distinctly remember being surprised.
Haley then shook the pipes, I scratched around the coins and then, after a while, I started the portable speaker sound again. The piece then ended and the abducted Intermedia student was never heard from again. I hear she returned to Earth somewhere in Guatemala and couldn't remember her name for a couple days but the rumors are hard to verify."
I really enjoyed working with Lucian to come up with this project. He has a great knack for creating sound with a story, and I think about what would be interesting to see. We wanted to create a Cage inspired composition and wrote down a score for us to follow. Going into the performance, I knew that the sound were more important than the story we created, but the story was really just a jumping off point in my mind. I liked where it went even if it was not exactly how we planned it.

Notes from the audience:
Great use of sounds and "instruments"
The performance felt like a ritual
The audience had a lot of trust
The sound walking around the room was great, but could have used more
the exhaust pipe may have been overwhelming-which isn't bad or good
Bucket was reminiscent of either a crown or dunce hat
It could be improved by putting it behind a screen with backlight