Performance Art
Bluto is a character exploration of the villain from Popeye. It explores the psychology of toxic masculinity from a farcical, comdia dell artesque, psychoanalytic portrayal.
I perform , as well as Lydon Frank, in drag, for this surreal dance into spinach-flavored romantic longing.
For my show "I'll Stop the World and Melt with You", I created a traveling cryogenic defrosting seminar which sought to rehabilitate defrosted heads back to civilian life through facial exercises, making out and of course karaoke. This has been one of my first "road show" type of performances and it has traveled from night clubs, to puppet theaters, to museums, to galleries, to outside venues.
Glory Hole Hot Dog Stand
As part of Margie Schnibbe's solo show at Human Rescources, I performed a Glory Hole hotdog stand. People were invited to talk to me through the hole and describe what kind of lover they wanted and I would make them a custom hotdog to their satisfaction and shove it through the hole for them to munch on the other side.
Olympia + Sandman Performances
For the final show of "We Gave Our Best Now The Rest is up to the Hope Chest", the curators and artists for the traveling show were invited to present work in Vienna.
Because the show traveled along inside of a box, I did a modern twist on the German short story "The Sandman", from which the opera "Tales of Hoffman" originated. During the opening I pretended to be a 300 year old Olympia (an automaton) emerging from the box. The audience wore kaleidoscopic glasses that fractured the light coming off of my sequins performed a dance was based off of the Michael Powell dance film, "Tales of Hoffman"- in which the robot has a breakdown. After the breakdown, my character delivers a monologue about technology and emotion becoming outdated and I teach the audience to project their fantasies on me using Snapchat.
For the closing of the show, I performed as the title character, 'The Sandman". Because of the history of the Sandman Story influencing Freud’s writings on the Uncanny, I did dream therapy session. I basically asked audience members about their dreams, psychoanalysis them an then gave them solutions to rid themselves of their nightmares. During this timeframe, psychedelic videos played in the background and they also wore the kaleidoscopic glasses.
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You Can't Cut Your Losses: Castrati Cocktail Hour
You Can't Cut Your Losses:
Castrati Cocktail Hour
After stumbling across some research on 17th Century Castratos; I discovered that at one point in time around 3,000 boys were being castrated a year and only about 12 of them would be able to do anything substantial with their training and talent.
Having grown up as a daughter of an opera singer, I've lived with someone who has had a highly developed musical training to a point of intimidation. Seeing her struggles made me turn my back on any musical appreciation and develop an interest in visual arts.
I started to develop this character of "the loser castrati", someone who puts a bunch of effort into their art form, has sacrificed everything and still has nothing. In order to present this character, I put the narrative within the fairy tale of Pinocchio (another character forced into a career path based off of physical changes imposed by family members) and a crappy lounge act.
I additionally sing with my mother as part of this narrative and worked with my father developing the make-up.
This performance was developed and performed at PAM, an art residency in Highland Park.
Taking Stock In Yourself
This performance was done for Psychiana's Magazine release based around the theme of Humiliation. For this performance I offered free advice overcoming humiliation from the stocks in a Tony Robbinsesque performance type.
As advice was dealt, different scenes were torn-off from around my head by my assistant Nathan Bockelman.
At the end of the seminar the audience were urged to throw unripe, organic tomatos at my head and saying self affirmations.
Misogynist Massages
Misogynist massages are a one-at-a-time performance in which people receive a massage as they watch a video through the massage table Seeing the movement and feeling coordinated movements create a weird out of body experience moving towards empathetic information processing.
The Transformation of
a Were-Bitch
This was my performance at Pehrspace for Femmes on the Edge, night of bands, video art and performances. In this performance I turned into a werewolf and advertised anti-werewolf birthcontrol, Lunista.
Gag Reflex
Part of Shelley Holcomb's Smiley Cyrus comedy night, I did a post-modern set where I tapped my mouth shut and only made the noises of a stand-up of archetypal comedy acts- 80s observational, Feminist Act and Slapstick Dude bombing.
Cave Talk With OOGA
Dressed as a cave lady, I did this performance for the opening of Tete a Tete, curated by Michelle Carla Handel. Here I lectured to my new found friends about my evolution into a modern lady. I spoke of the differences between women past and present and attempted to use a condom to burn my bra to cook hot dogs on.
It's My Party,
I Can Die if I Want To
Often regarded as a funny person to get stuck talking to at a cocktail party, I have been told time after time that I should do stand-up. Because of my disdain for the stand-up community, most likely due to how similar it is to the art community I vowed I’d rather die than do stand-up. Not being a planned funny person, I created a set of “observational humor” about the art community. This show is about my friends’ influence, good and bad and the power of a community to mold your interpretation of yourself. The stand-up act is paired with my first year of post-grad post-apocalypse.
OK Artist- DJ Karen Pointer
“Mending Broken Hearts With Works of Art” OKArtist is a radio show that attempts to bring artists together, be it intellectually, creatively or romantically. Radiohost Karen Pointer reads out OKCupid profiles out loud that contain the keyword “art” in them in order to make these connections paired with romantic music.
Seasons Greetings From
John Baldessari
This performance is an homage to “John Baldessari sings Sol LeWitt“, however instead of singing art theory- its Christmas Carols to the audience of chatroulette. This performance was done when Chatroulette, a program in which strangers from around the world meet face to face via webcam. Because of the anonymity of the program, several people just end up performing lude acts to the camera. Thinking about this I thought- who would be the last person you’d want to see while engaging in this practice? Santa Claus…a childhood figure who normally judges children into two catagories: naughty or nice, it seemed appropriate to inflict this judgement on the adults of chatroulette.
Then I started thinking about who was the closest figure I thought of as Santa Claus and that’s when it came to me: John Baldessari. No one hates John Baldessari in the art world and he created a criteria for teaching conceptual art. So I dressed myself up like the jolly Baldessari and shared good cheer to all that popped up in my window.
Viewer Discretion Advised
Digital Seances
Digital Séances are a ritual I perform where I connect the lost souls of the internet to the physical world. These dead souls linger in chatrooms, chatroulette and congest our inboxes with outlandish offers and desires. In this performance I try to put to rest these disquieted poltergeists.
Dionne Warwick Psychic Friends Network
For digital + performance art symposium, The Simulationists I was approached by Mark Jeffery and Judd Morrissey to perform one of my digitally integrated performances. Having done digital spins on seances, crystal ball readings and sin eating (see below) I was bowled over when I found out about Dionne Warwick’s Psychic Friends Network. After purchasing the vhs I presented what I imagined would have been my dream job, combining psychic energy with the stability of technology all in order to heal the depression of corporate America. Part of the performance was a lecture then the video would project out of my face using a metal, micro projector.
Pity Party
This performance was 1/2 lecture and 1/2 party. I presented my current emotional decline in the same manner a staff meeting is given. After the text, I played a series of sappy 70s music videos while I cut an cake that was made using my copy of Infinite Jest and served it. Click here to watch video mix.
Il Pleure Dans Mon Coeur
This is a reenactment of my livejournal from 7th grade… read entry here , where I received my first kiss on my school’s French trip. After I turned the age of my beau, it only seemed natural to go full circle and revisit this time in my life. Built around the story is my frustration for learning french poems, my teen sincerity , and the stereotypical teenage girl’s ideal fantasy around the European lifestyle. For best viewing, click link and read along.
Il Pleure Dans Mon Coeur
Bambakomallophobia
Bambakomallophobia
This performance addresses getting over my fear of cotton as well as adjusting to college life. The first video is the video that was shown at the performance and the second is the performance that followed the video.
Letters to a Woman Painter
One of my first performance pieces this is my video response to Max Beckman’s letter correspondence with a female art school in which he declared women not good artists until they were hurt, healed and turned into an ice queen.