Sentimental Pussyfooting

This is something I wrote to Rita Feliciano, a dance critic in the Bay Area, about my upcoming show, Sentimental Pussyfooting – a study in plagiarism. She was wondering how the show fits into the concept of dance.

“This work fits right into dance. In this show, I am
using works by Yoko Ono, Trisha Brown, John Cage, Jess
Curtis and Paul Taylor as points of departure.

The idea behind the show is to use structures that
have been created by and are attached to specific
artists and re-use/reclaim/re-examine them. The way I
see it dance, or most dance, has the same structure.
Lights go on, music and movement start. It’s
essentially the same skeleton every time. Whether
it’s ODC or Scott Wells, the skeleton is the same.
Just the meat around the bones has changed. The
costumes are different, the music is different etc.
But still essentially the same piece. Or is it?

The piece by Yoko Ono that I will be examining is her
“Cut Piece”. First done in ’64, she sits on stage and
audience members come on stage and cut her clothing.
In my show I will do this piece again. I will sit on
stage, audience members will come on stage and cut off
my clothes. Some people will say that I am doing
Ono’s piece again. But am I? The scissors are
different, the clothes, the audience, the location,
the pathways cut into the clothing will be different.

If ODC and Scott Wells are different pieces then Ono’s
piece and mine are different. In both cases, the
costumes are different. The people executing the
movements are different. The pathways of the bodies
and scissors are different. The lighting is
different. The soundscore is different. Yet the
skeleton remains the same.

People are more likely to say that I am repeating
Ono’s piece because it is a different enough of a
skeleton from the basic dance skeleton. No one says
to ODC or Paul Taylor – “Oh lights, movement, and
music…that is So and So’s piece” Why not? Because
that skeleton is from time immemorial. And most dance
I see is just repeating the same skeleton over and
over again. And dance is so rich because we keep
investigating the same skeleton over and over again.
Where would dance be if people stopped making dances
to music because that had already been done?

By keeping certain structures identified with certain
artists, the collective artistic investigation is
limited. By saying – Oh we can’t do that because that
is So and So’s piece – we cut ourselves off from so
many possibilties. Every piece in this show that I am
relating to, I consider a door that was created when
the pieces were originally made, a door for us to walk
through. Those artists pointed us in new directions.
It is up to us to continue in those directions and
continue their investigations.”

Art Theft

In a case of slight exaggeration-

Julian Radcliffe, chairman of the Art Loss Register, which operates a database to help recover lost and stolen art equated art thieves with murders and child slavers.

Whoever took “Russian Schoolroom” from the suburban St. Louis gallery in 1973, or the masterpieces from the Boston museum 1980, or the works lifted in Zurich this week, shouldn’t be mistaken for a high-society, tuxedo-wearing, “Thomas Crown Affair” kind of thief, Radcliffe said.”These people are the worst sort of criminal. They are just like the criminals who traffic individuals or sell children, or murder.

Now, I am all for art, but to equate people who are basically fancy shoplifters with murders…that is a grand exaggeration. I think it is another case of someone whose vision has become so myopic, so involved in one’s field that s/he has lost perspective.

United Charging for 2nd Bag

This is just nuts. United Airlines is now charging people $25 to check a 2nd bag. They say that it is because of the cost of fuel. Extra bags use more fuel as they add weight.

Well, what about fat people? Following the extra cost for extra weight logic, fat people should have to pay more also. Why should I at 185 lbs. pay the same as someone who weighs 250lbs.? How about pregnant women? Extra weight extra cost… Should I get a discount if I void my bowels and bladder before getting on the plane? How much does the collective amount of fecal matter weigh on a plane? Maybe I can get a discount if I promise to never use the bathroom while flying. If no one uses it, no need to clean it…think of the savings there. Maybe airlines could start charging people to use the bathroom.

Toilet paper will be extra.

Magnets

First Fridays took place or is taking place right now in Oakland. Saw a bunch of work. Most of it didn’t hit me. But liked some paintings and sculptures by Michael Meyers in the Johansson Projects gallery. The paintings were of trucks, reminded me of a video I made a while ago, part of the Half Breed series. Hmm…thought it was on my site but guess not. What was the point of this entry? Not sure. Well after seeing a lot of work, I think 5 galleries, and didn’t recognize anyone. Funny how the dance world and “visual” art world don’t seem to be connected. Dance is a visual art. Kinda useless to the audience if they are blind. But after seeing work and not liking most of it, made me want to put more of an effort into getting my video work out there. Packing it well and sending it out.

Packaging I thought of involves climbing rope, magnets and Fritos. Looking for magnets online led me to a cool page. I’ve got 8 magnets coming my way.

Hungry