my inclement weather

Recently, I began thinking about the nature of performative works of art. What kind of unique properties are available to temporal works; art pieces that exist only in time, and oftentimes, for an audience of no one? Many artists have written extensively on the "learning" or "enrichment," that they themselves alone are privy to when making their work in the studio. Creating a sculpture becomes "a meditation," "a journey," etc. I wholeheartedly agree with these sentiments, having expressed them many times myself, but I became interested in the "journey" possible for the artist when there is indeed no product being made at all.

My investigations naturally led me to performance art, and one cannot examine performance art without in some manner examining the oeuvre of the incredible Serbian performance artist Marina Abramovic.

And, naturally, I happened upon the early works of Abramovic, conceived and performed with her partner for many years, Ulay.

I was fascinated with the partnership explored in these pieces, and how, reportedly, over 10 years of performing with one another, they become closer to one another on many levels. I decided I wanted to make a piece with my partner that, when performed, would bring us closer together. I began to write a series of movements for two people that, when followed in succession, would momentarily create a sculpture from the bodies of the participants. Each movement would become more invasive than the last, and trust (a quality any partnership ultimately hinges upon) would have to become stronger and stronger. I called these movements, "Trust Exercises for Lovers," and, one morning when my shared studio was empty, with an audience of no one, my lover and I completed them .

The effect of the exercises was a strange one. At the beginning, in between setting up the camera to record our movements, we found ourselves laughing nervously at what we were doing. By the end of the exercises, we were working as a machine. This was a very personal project for me, and in many ways, embarassed me greatly once I began to share it with my peers. However, I do feel like our goal was reached, and thought it best to organize both the exercises and documentation into a zine to be distributed for anone wishing to develop a stronger sense of trust with their lover. Additionally, I organized the documentation into a short film, which you can view in its entirety below.