Loss is Expected-games and playing

Last night was the thesis exhibition opening. It was fine and awkward. I had made the decision not to perform for this event because, with this piece, my performance is not necessary yet.This night was a setting of the space, and the space is the performance, and the performers are those who enter it. The space is textured with the elements of theatre performance-a stage, a curtain, direction, blocking directions, entrances and exits, clarity, ambiguity and the freedom to play and break rules. the framing of it is skewed, but it is all there.

I tried not to stalk my piece, which was rather impossible,because I am primarily a performer, and I want to make things easy for an audience. But that is not this piece. This piece is a challenge. I eventually gave in and watched from the periphery. I wanted to see how people interacted with it, or if they did.

Observations on opening:

1)Everyone recognizes a pinball machine and bright colors. This inspires grins, nods and moving by to get to the more "serious" work waiting around the literal corner, in this case. It also inspires return for closer inspection and raised eyebrows. When I began this process, I did so with creating definitions of these elements to which I was attracted. The initial idea was to play with a photobooth, which is still integrated in the piece, but it's limitations were in the breadth of the theme that I hadn't gotten to yet. Photobooths were my gateway drug, and the definite personal place with which I identified at the beginning of this process.

Photobooth: A formulated private space with a plastic, uncomfortable seat, an awkward curtain, and a money-feed which may, or may not, accept your crumpled dollar bills. Once the money is fed and accepted, the subjects have no control over when the photos are taken. There are four, and expressions can change with each frame. I see it as a confessional of moments. It is an isolation chamber, with no background other than a white wall, but the image is disposable,In WWII, soldiers would send home photos of themselves to their loved ones. Now, photobooths are found in bars, arcades, them businesses and amusement parks. There is nothing to these pictures other than the pose that you try to to catch, with limited control over when or how the photo is taken, in succession. The fun is in the waiting, then the result is a grainy, streaked, distorted and imperfect, working more with shadows, rather than definition. Subjects are caught in categories.

As I played with the idea of photobooths, I continued into the sense of immediate recognition,distortion and temporary expression posed and frozen in time in a form that can go anywhere-tossed away, sent to a loved one, ripped into pieces to be shared, discarded, shoved in a wallet, or forgotten, until surprisingly discovered once again, and that isolated moment which occurred in this sterile space is suddenly alive again, despite(or because of) it's crass, grainy and distorted features.

Clearly, I still want to do a piece based on photobooths. But not while I'm in grad school. I want to use a real photobooth, and they are just expensive. Need funding!

Again-the photobooth was a gateway drug to explore recognition, amusement and my own journey thus far in the qualities of the definition I had created. Pinball was a clear choice. It's my favorite game. So I created a definition:

Pinball: A game of controlling chaos, using both skill and chance. A ball is propelled into an obstacle course. The player, once the ball is activated, can only control the flippers to bounce the ball back into a game of snaps, isolation, bounces and over-stimulating triggers-lights, sounds, catch-phrases and illogical point building. The most important strategy is to keep focus and position the bumper flipper soas to catch and propel the ball back into the game, staying alive. No one wins the game. Points are registered, but the ball always slides in between the flippers. Satisfaction comes from endurance. Loss is expected.

The frame(and title) of this piece quickly became clear, and I am happy with it. It is clearly recognizable, quickly passed up, and returned to for inspection...Yep.I saw that. Good.

2)Thank goodness for children, and their ability to seek amusement, and create it where they want it to be. They want it to be everywhere, but are in constant conflict of being pulled back and encouraged, not unlike that whole quest for identity thatis a lifelong mission. There were a couple of kids who came with their parents to the opening. They clearly were aware and respectful that they were at an art opening with their parents, and were very careful about being on good behavior. Kids are awesome. As their parents explored, the kids kept coming back to L.I.E. unsure of what to do. It's clearly a playground, but were they allowed to play? As I stalked my own piece, I watched them stalk it, too. One of the kids was the child of a professor of mine, and this professor knows my work, and that I want it to be played, so she encouraged her child to do so, which was great. Once she had free reign, her child started making up rules, and reacting to the given rules, which were ambiguous. And it all worked perfectly. This kid played the games, respecting the rules given and making new ones at the same time, striving to win, and working an optimism that is often forgotten or cast aside. This kid then became a leader to another child who had been watching, waiting and wanting to play.As the games were being played, other elements of the piece started gaining weight. The sound piece, which constantly runs, started infiltrating into the game, as well. I nearly jumped for joy when this child turned to her parent and said, "Hey, the lady on the radio knows what I'm doing and what I'm thinking!" I think that's an awesome success.

3) At the end of the night, I got a rainbow!!! What luck, great coincidence, and subtle agreement to my insistence of building this piece around a window. I could, and have, gone into all of the reasons of extension, meditation and the easy association that having this window overlooking Michigan Avenue and Grant Park offers, and weather conditions are a big factor, too, but a rainbow? I don't think I've noticed one in years. how lucky!

As i head into the next phase in this work, I am excited. Thank goodness I don't feel like it's done.

K

Loss is Expected-the depart-mental walk through

I'm guessing that these sort of things are always awkward. L.I.E. is 99.98 percent installed, and I had been hovered over my computer, trying to upload photos and send out a Facebook invite during the 11th hour, with the department, some who know my work, some who don't, walking through. I didn't get a whole lot of feedback, aside from Doug Stapleton and Jenny Magnus, who took the time to explore the piece, for which I am incredibly grateful. Other than that, there was a lot of nodding and smiling, which is expected. There are seven large installations in one space, all in various states of preparation, what else is anyone to do, but "walk through"? The whole show gets darker and darker as you go through. It begins with "This is a Play(by joseph riley)" with is a clean and composed piece- a literal box of a stage with very distinct and meticulous multiple backgrounds painted on window blinds that flip and change with the flick of a wrist and an idea. Landscapes and backgrounds appear and disappear in an instant, and he has written a performance that is as quick and as fragmented as the sound and actions of his shifting set. It's really fantastic. 

Then it moves on to my piece, which is brightly colored, intentionally messy, spinny, sloppy and both personal and impersonal. Prior to the walk through-I was given two unsolicited observations: The first was from a stranger who said, "Oh, hey!It's a big pinball machine!" and the next from my friend Jasmine who said, "Oh, hey!It's a crappy carnival!"

 

Next is Robert's piece, which is a mystery to us all. He has spent much time concealing his space with heavy black curtains, and I suspect the minimalist sense that he harbors well will prove to engage what I know will arrive-a space of calm and beauty. A chance to breathe. He does gorgeous and sophisticated work. My friend, Heather Khan, has always said that she wished museums had rooms in between exhibits in order to regroup, breathe and process before moving on. I think Robert channels this sentiment, and his work is in the beauty, sanctity and history involved, although I've never discussed it with him. He fights for calm, and I respect this. I'm glad that he is next to me(although I know my piece makes his fight more difficult-oops-I dig the contrast, but I'm selfish and playful-look at my work!)

It then moves on to Katie Haviland's "Familiar Strangers," which is a meticulously unsettling and gorgeous piece. I won't say too much about it, but it is beautiful and stark.

Moving along into stark absurdity and getting back to playfulness-Erin Cramer's "Funeral Procession" is a Grimm's Fairy tale personified. It is dark, wacky and full of life-sized puppets and musical instruments and amazement.

It continues into Amy Jacob's piece(how do I not know the name of it?) which builds on the stark tone with shear number of paper dresses, burned precisely and accordingly...just keeps getting darker and darker and more unsettling and sweet.

This leads to Jasmine Greer's piece, which I didn't check out today, so I can't give a real rundown of it, except for the fact that she embraces physical darkness in a fantastic way. Last I checked, the room was entirely black, draped in fabric, with small lights shining through. I can't wait to see her piece...

If anything, we're a dark crew, and this show just gets darker as you travel through. I can't wait to do so!

But, back to Loss is Expected...The piece is contingent on these physical games that have been set up with moveable pieces and veiled overt instructions. Jenny, who I always listen to as I would a director-with intensity, respect and  welcome intimidation- asked if I'd be present to return the space to it's original order, once the games had been played. This is a question for the whole piece, but specifically for the "Hat toss" and the "Ball roll." I'm sure I hemmed and hawed, but the answer is no. The absence or displacement of of these things that have been instructed to be tossed, rolled, or thrown is part of the central theme. The instructions are there, and they may be understood, but when it comes down to it, the object may not be there, and the interpretation of the instruction may be muddy. As a participant, you  expect it to be there, and when it is not, a few things can happen. Perhaps you feel cheated. Perhaps you feel disappointed. Perhaps you feel concerned. Perhaps you feel amused. Perhaps you feel bored. No matter what, something is evoked on an emotional level. That is the real point.

Really, the question is-what are you looking for? In my experience as an avid art enthusiast, a  theatre artist, a teacher, and an interdisciplinary artist, as well as someone who approaches art as I do life, things don't always work out as instructions may lead you to believe. How you assess and adapt makes you remember where and who you are. In this piece, there are clear guidelines. It really is a pinball game. You know that going in. You've seen the bumpers(I know-flippers)Her point is incredibly valid-who is going to be there to put it back together? Who will reset? That is exactly the question-who knows? This is where it becomes a little bit of a social experiment. Maybe no one does(until the night is over, and my reset list is in order with the gallery manager), maybe someone does, maybe someone else witnesses this, maybe nothing ever gets touched, lifted, thrown or rolled. All of these "maybes" send a message.

1) The sanctity of "art"-is it really so sacred? I understand that masterpieces are the works that have withstood years and centuries, and are highly protected by guards and vaults and museums and social etiquette. I've built a piece that is meant to shift at human hands and traffic. I have a real concern that the idea of "art" may mean that this work will lie under-explored and cautiously played. When I was in college, and just after, I had a boyfriend who was always disappointed that when he would come to visit me in NYC that his huge white minivan never got tagged with graffiti. He always got a ticket, but he wanted to have the credibility of having been in a notoriously urban atmosphere with a clearly huge canvas, just waiting. He only got tickets. 

2) L.I.E. is obnoxious. Intentionally so. It's also playful and designed much like a fifth grade play. There is a light innocence to it, as well as a weighted hell to it, and it bleeds into everything. The balls will roll down off of the piece, and into other areas.Objects may be propelled elsewhere. It is clear where these objects came from. The return of these objects may be a reason for someone to enter the piece, that's cool, too. It's cool if it infiltrates other pieces. That's a bit of the point. If objects are lost...well...look to the title.

3) To get to the human point, this is also a test(experiment, whatever). Who resets? who fucks things up? Who lets things lie?Who supervises? What does it matter. The fact is, if you choose something that is either full or empty, you still have made a choice. If you survey the atmosphere, you still make your assessments.

It's all part of the city and human identity. It is what it is. It's all beautiful, and flawed at every point. 

Loss is Expected...a working rundown

Karen Louis's physically interactive installation Loss is Expected maps the artists personal journey of discovery as told through stories of turbulence and transience in a city sphere. Both playful and melancholic; arcade games, text, sculpture and performance spin, swing, block and dictate movement through a landscape that shifts between an urban playground and solitary confinement.

This is the culmination of my graduate study work at Columbia College in Chicago. The exhibition opens on Friday, April 24th and will run until May 21st, 2009. The space is designed as a performative arena, nodding clearly to my theatre background with borrowed stage flats, specifically crass lighting, and the hope that everything shifts at some point. The goal is imperfection in a carefully constructed area. The flats are painted lightly, with the hope that traffic will change the landscape. I've used pink insulation on some of the more handled aspects of the piece(bumpers, street signs, etc) because they will chip and respond to use, and that is much of the point to this piece. Loss is Expected is equally about the activation the space as well as watching the space either hold up or deteriorate with activation. It's become a durational piece.

As a performance artist, this is an interesting journey. I've created a space that places the observer as the actor, and I'm joining in, as well. This is a durational performance for me. I, too, will enter the space as specific characters who will leave their mark in the same way every character does, and it will be as subtle and as important. I love that. I'm so used to performing on a stage, yet informing those performances with my own experience and life(Strasberg, baby!), so the performance does not merely begin with entering the space. It begins with getting up. It continues with going out. It's a selfish playground, and it's one that we all charter every day. I'm really excited about that aspect, and will update as it goes, and I don't know how they will go...because I haven't gotten there yet...

This is where I have gotten. I've built a space and colored it with text:

The simplicity of building begins with getting up

Some time

We get up and begin

an afterthought

an alarm

the impetus of movement to stay alive

discover what is waiting

Weighted in discovery

get up

go

move

fulfill tasks

set goals

move

contort

shift

hope

transcribe

transpire

grow

settle

assess

hope

wake up

sleep

dream

hope

this is going to get better at some point

Isn’t that the point?

progress

grow

adapt

hope

anchor our roots

spin and swing and laugh off

That which ties us to the ground

Leaded boots

Cement overshoes

Steel toes and wounded woes

Keeping frivolous fantasies firm

And weighted circumstance learned

Reminding us what of we know

About anchoring roots in pavement

They just don’t stick

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The end begins with this:

A wink

A nudge

A promise

A lark

A deeply rooted identity

Unaware that the roots reach

The areas they touch.

A moment of wonder overwhelms

Gripping hands and tightened thighs

That build themselves into a grasp beneath a chin

And movement moves into applause and awe.

Then comes the digestion

Shortness of breath

A separation til part do us death

Staring at the happening

Of a somber cool

Confidence and collection

And the power of the promises made

To follow through to this end

That begins with this :

A wink

A nudge

A lark

A promise to grow old before growing wise

A nudge of building identity

A wink to know that it is time

To greet this end

That begins with this

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V/O to city soundscore

Welcome.

Please take a seat.

Relax.

Close your eyes.

Breathe.

Breathe.

Breathe.

Relax.

Congratulations.

You’ve made it here.

Open the curtain,

See how far you’ve come.

It’s okay if you are not alone.

It’s better that way.

It’s okay if you are alone.

It’s better that way.

See how far you’ve come.

Breathe.

Breathe.

Relax.

It’s okay if you are confused.

It’s better that way.

It’s okay if you are careful.

It’s better that way.

there is no need

to look up

Like a tourist

In the land that you chartered and swung through

With ease

There is no need to look down

For fear of missing the next big thing

While watching your feet walk.

That would be silly.(breathe)

There is no need

to look back

And hold yourself to the

Last blasts,

Heavy hands,

Anchors,

Grasps,

(breathe)

That hold you fast

(breathe)

to the ground

(breathe)

(breathe)

(breathe)

(breathe)

It’s better that way