Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Final performance: lost tooth (treadmill)

Wow. What a doozy. Such a crazy day it was. I am happy it is over. Besides having to pay for a new tooth I am actually very happy and proud of my performance as well as upset I did not get to discuss the performance in a regular fashion. 

The performance itself, I felt, went quite well. The space was as good as I could ask for. I felt that both Elliot and i's wardrobe was perfect. I was wearing the grey sweats of a worker and Elliot wore the black authoritarian sweats. It was obvious what my point was I felt. I hope everyone got it. Sometimes you are forced to go as hard as you can and past it. You will fail but you can at least smile when you are bloody and toothless. I also felt that the sounds were great. The treadmill getting louder and louder as well as the quickening of my footsteps must have really built the tension and my fall was a nicely climactic ending. 

As far as inspiration goes it was a lot for
 My wrestling past as I actually came up with this performance one of the first days of class and developed the subtleties as I learned from my work. I was inspired by the struggle of my athletic past as well as in life. Also Chris Burden was someone I looked at although I am not nearly as masochistic and crazy as he was. 

Overall though, I really am proud of this work. I think it was the strongest of the block. I wish I could have done it for live art night. 

1 comment:

  1. Ben. You are right on. It was the strongest performance.... really excellent work and thought. The approach and care you took in what the two of you wore was perfect. The sounds -- the tread mill, you, and the relentless beeping - which reminded many of us of the beeping of the machine hooked up to someone in a hospital. It was frightening to watch - beautiful in the way we could actually see your legs running --- really beautiful. I was very afraid of the fall. For me, it triggered how hard we fight to keep up, to keep going no matter what... the endless rat race to the top. But I also see it as the struggle and the getting up and continuing when we fall. I wish you could have performed it in the Ratt too --- you would have needed to wear the GEAR to protect yourself. If you really wanted to re- perform it - I wish you would have told me... I am glad you are ok. Kudos to your strength.

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