The Kitty Beckons.
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The Kitty Beckons
March 2012 - Ongoing
Various Locations in New York City.
Mother Of…
March 2012.
Maraschino Cherries in Syrup Strung with Wire on Necklace Display.
Obtaining a Cigarette.
Performance.
February 2012.
For Our Roots
Stone Carving Installation.
Indiana Limestone, Soil.
December 2011.
Based on the concept of a monument as a gesture of apology, this piece uses the image of a clear-cut tree as a symbol for colonialism. While recognizing a disturbing history, the piece refers to the prior debilitating act of cutting down and excavating of the stump and roots, performed by the artist. Displaced from its natural setting, the monument elevates the stump to a position of triumph rather than a figure of victimization as the two crutches carved allow the stump to stand upright once again. The inclusion of the crutches satirically calls attention to the detrimental effect colonialism has had and continues to have on the culture of the First Nations people.
This piece refers to a site specific performance which took place in Prospect, Nova Scotia, Canada on September 11, 2011.
He Stared.
Sound Installation exhibited in the Anna Leonowens Gallery, Halifax, NS, November 28 - December 10, 2011 as part of the NSCAD Feminist Collective’s “Forever In Flux: Feminism In Dialogue”.
Focusing on the theme of isolation in space, this piece is an audio account of a female’s experience with sexual assault. Exploring both aura and physical space, the pre-recorded vocal performance emphasizes the painful isolation through a contrast of silence and speech. Utilizing a directional speaker, the sound targets one viewer at a time, enhancing the sensation of isolation within a crowded environment.
Audio, Parabolic Speaker.
Waiting For You.
November 2011.
Using the imagery of the wallflower at a high school dance, this performance explores the lines between audience and performer. Without verbal instruction, the audience relies on the constructed situation to understand that their engagement is necessary for the performance to be succeed.
Video Documented Performance.
Waiting For You.
Performance.
November 2011.
The Kiss.
Projected Photographic Performance.
November 2011.
Using performance and photography as a method of mark making, this project explores the imagery involved in the activation of positive and negative space. Although this image is created through process of photography, it will never be printed to maintain its performative nature.
Through the gesture of the kiss within a confined, structure space, it questions the nature and freedom of the gesture by comparing itself to the alluded historical art works depicting the kiss. As a kiss that makes its mark in contemporary Western society, this kiss opens up a discussion on the sexual identity of kissers.
Shot by Darren Pottie.
Reclamation Attempt, Number One.
October 2011.
Performance.
In this piece, the performer has come t the realization that the only way to be free from the hurt and destruction caused by an assault is to reclaim the emotions which the stranger induced in her.
Firstly using her emotional memory of the occurrence, she attempts to become angered. After many trials to no avail, she then asks for a volunteer from the audience, one where no reason for trust would exist. In using the dominant role of the performer against the role the volunteer plays, the performer takes advantage of the physical and the mental space of the volunteer. Under the silent guidance of the performer, the volunteer involuntarily embraces the performer. Being held in this state, the performer attempts to cry, but cannot. She shrugs the volunteer’s body off, and isolates them both. The inability to produce tears or a heightened state of anger creates frustration, but not the passion hoped for. The performance ends with the the performer announcing she will have to continue to try, but ultimately knows that the moment has passed.
For Our Roots (Excavation Site)
September 2011.
Performance/ Site Specific Un-Installation.
Corresponding to the For Our Roots (Monument), where the concept of ‘a monument as a form of apology’ was explored, this piece was the act which was necessary in order for the apology to hold any sense of sincerity.
Be Safe
September 2011.
The Commons is a symbol of the strength and compassion that Halifax has as a city and community. Yet, stories, true or false, regarding the park at night have tainted its reputation as a public space. The text not only acts as a reminder of the good that occurs in this space, but also initiates a dialogue on what it means to be safe.
Life/Video/Life
September 2011.
A performance that explores the deterioration of memory, both through the initial performance, and secondly through the medium which the performance is recorded and viewed. After the live performance, the piece continues in a performance focused on the technology, as the VHS cassettes repeats a cycles of play, rewind and play.
