Actions, interventions and performance art all hold my interest as a means to position myself intellectually in regards to the presence of my body in the activities I undertake. It is important for me to acknowledge the relationship between my body and the viewer. There is no denying the energy that exists between the viewer and the artist.
In my past performances, the audience watched as the artist (me) executed a series of deliberate actions in which the artist was the spectacle or instigator of the spectacle. The difference I’ve seen between my performance and theatre is the recognition and manipulation of the energy exchanged between the viewer and the artist. Looking back at my past performances, I have realized that this relationship was recognized and used as an inseparable component of the performance. The tension that is created between the viewer and performer can be used as leverage for the work or the subject of the work. What interests me in particular, is that the performance creates a spectacle. Inevitably, the performer or viewer (or both) become the center of attention; this focus reestablishes the theatrical component of performance. The gaze frames the performer or viewer (or both) and this framing jars me from the space of the viewer or vice versa. I am concerned about the power of theatrics to create imagined spaces (artificial location) for the viewer and performer to occupy, such as theater. I am not interested in the tension created by this type of psychological space; I am more interested in a casual interaction that would allow for a casual unscripted dialogue and sharing.
By presenting my body as a component in my work, I hope to deal with the preconceived notions of what is expected from an object-base discipline. The considered presence of my body is a means to intervene in the insular conventional space of the gallery. My physical presence counteracts the experience of static traditional art-making by bringing the work into a casual state of interaction. The presence of my body elaborates on the transition of warmth in a sculpture-body. I see casual interaction as warmth and this warmth allows for sharing and exchange of ideas. My actions or interventions are not set up to speak at people; these actions are deliberated as ways to speak with people.