Midnight Harvest, 2022
recyclable and waste items, LED lights, fountain pump and ionizer, industrial turntables, custom mdf camera track, plain body suit
duration: 6hr
recyclable and waste items, LED lights, fountain pump and ionizer, industrial turntables, custom mdf camera track, plain body suit
duration: 6hr
from sunset to midnight on Halloween, I interacted with special objects while surrounded by a ring of recycling and waste items collected from my previous year of consumption. the performance was a harvest ritual, collecting new meaning, elevating ephemera to a higher plane before it ultimately wound up in a landfill. the soundtrack is layered with crowd noises from night markets, the circus, carnivals, theme parks and a train ride.
Bottom of the Barrel, 2010
empty gallery space, industrial rotating turntable, artist's nude body
duration: 5hr 39min
empty gallery space, industrial rotating turntable, artist's nude body
duration: 5hr 39min
for the duration, I balanced nude and supine on top of an industrial turntable that slowly rotated in front of audience. the piece ended when I was too exhausted and could no longer balance myself.
Gentlemen Strike Not without Provocation, 2010
rented white pinstripe tuxedo never returned, wood saw, hack saw, butcher knife, cutting board, various plastic toy animals, metal bowl, porcelain serving dish, plastic pitcher filled with black paint
duration: 2hr
rented white pinstripe tuxedo never returned, wood saw, hack saw, butcher knife, cutting board, various plastic toy animals, metal bowl, porcelain serving dish, plastic pitcher filled with black paint
duration: 2hr
using various tools, I chopped-up miniature plastic toy animals, tossed them in viscous black paint, and offered them up on a serving platter. the performance ended when I accidentally cut my hands and the performance was shut down for health and safety.
Big Space & the Delicate Corral, 2010
rabbit fur gloves, blond acrylic bouffant wig, New York Athletic Club tank top, 44 classroom chairs, active fire hose
duration: 44 min
rabbit fur gloves, blond acrylic bouffant wig, New York Athletic Club tank top, 44 classroom chairs, active fire hose
duration: 44 min
using a fire hose from the emergency cabinet, I lassoed 44 chairs spread about the facility, and gradually spiraled them inwards. then, I forcefully dragged the mass from one end of the room to the other until specified time ran out.
Tethering, 2009
radio controlled Suzuki ATV, thermal tape, nylon rope, brass D-rings, usb webcam, digital projector
duration: 3hr 40 min
radio controlled Suzuki ATV, thermal tape, nylon rope, brass D-rings, usb webcam, digital projector
duration: 3hr 40 min
performed in collaboration with BCAD for Version Fest 10 in Chicago. for the duration, I was tethered to six other group members. in repeated sequence, I laid thermal tape in track-like configurations as far out as I could reach on my tether. then, I navigated the RC ATV around the silver pathways until it returned to me. I would then rip up the old pathway, and lay another track, repeating the process.
Well Educated, 2009
cowhide, silver glitter, glass jar, hammer, gallery pedestal, strobing projection with animated text, blaring music "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" from Dirty Dancing
duration: 6min 20sec
cowhide, silver glitter, glass jar, hammer, gallery pedestal, strobing projection with animated text, blaring music "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" from Dirty Dancing
duration: 6min 20sec
in the dark, overlaid with a strobing projection, I smashed apart a gallery pedestal. in the process, I gashed open my hand and bled around the scene, at the end, I flung silver glitter across wreckage and left the room.
SONS, 2009
tattoo artists and their associated equipment, live gallery audience
duration: 4hr
tattoo artists and their associated equipment, live gallery audience
duration: 4hr
in collaboration with my performance partner, Karen Bovinich, we received tattoos in tandem of our paternal surnames. this was performed in front of a live audience for the gallery series, "Hermanos," curated by Emanuel Aguilar at Happy Collaborationists in Chicago, IL.
No One Will Eat Cake, 2008
custom decorated stolen cake
duration: 4hr 1min
custom decorated stolen cake
duration: 4hr 1min
for the duration of a capstone course, I sat with the cake in plain view. at the end of the seminar, I opened the cake as if to serve it, but instead, threw it over everyone's heads into the far wall and left the room.
Challenging Trek, 2008
my dad's cowboy boots, vintage button-down cowboy shirt, rapeseed field
duration: 3hr 20min
my dad's cowboy boots, vintage button-down cowboy shirt, rapeseed field
duration: 3hr 20min
I firmly asked an audience of 20 people to wait for me at the edge of a rapeseed field, I promised I would be right back. I ran through the field to the top of the hill and over, and never returned to the spot, instead walking alone in the German countryside until dusk.
Seek and Destroy, 2007
five jars of Crisco, black duct tape, 18-inch dildo, ratchet straps, speakers, blaring club music, extension cords, power strip, cotton briefs, ribbed tank top
duration: 29min
five jars of Crisco, black duct tape, 18-inch dildo, ratchet straps, speakers, blaring club music, extension cords, power strip, cotton briefs, ribbed tank top
duration: 29min
for the duration, I was blind-folded with my hands duct taped to a large dildo, with speakers strapped to my back and chest facing inwards while tethered to the wall with an extension cord. I made my way blindly around the room until I found a Crisco jar, then used the dildo to un-lid and scoop out all the Crisco. the performance ended when I accidentally unplugged the extension cord.
Free Snacks, 2007
pre-filled communion cups with wafers included, hand-made poster board with LED lights, red hightop sneakers, pristine white sweatshirt with gold key, silver key and red cord hand-cut foil transfer
duration: 4hr 19min
set up outside a student center during finals week, I handed out communion cups to passersby, consistently denying that they were communion cups, insisting they were simply free snacks with no affiliation. the performance lasted until it was shut down by campus security.
pre-filled communion cups with wafers included, hand-made poster board with LED lights, red hightop sneakers, pristine white sweatshirt with gold key, silver key and red cord hand-cut foil transfer
duration: 4hr 19min
set up outside a student center during finals week, I handed out communion cups to passersby, consistently denying that they were communion cups, insisting they were simply free snacks with no affiliation. the performance lasted until it was shut down by campus security.
The Lemons Question, 2007
365 lemons, kitchen knife, cutting board, four gallon jars, folding table, garbage bin, vinyl deer head mask, white cotton briefs
duration: 8hr
for the duration, I cut and squeezed nearly 400 lemons bare-handed while standing barefoot, blind-folded and semi-nude in public.
365 lemons, kitchen knife, cutting board, four gallon jars, folding table, garbage bin, vinyl deer head mask, white cotton briefs
duration: 8hr
for the duration, I cut and squeezed nearly 400 lemons bare-handed while standing barefoot, blind-folded and semi-nude in public.
Shave and a Haircut, Two Bites, 2007
store-bought cake, plastic forks and plates, barber shears, kitchen knife, beard and hair trimmings
duration: 35min
I trimmed my hair and beard over a celebratory cake, then I sliced and served the cake to the audience members.
store-bought cake, plastic forks and plates, barber shears, kitchen knife, beard and hair trimmings
duration: 35min
I trimmed my hair and beard over a celebratory cake, then I sliced and served the cake to the audience members.
Destruction Worker, 2007
hard hat, safety glasses, streaming website, multi-channel video broadcast, laptop computers, projectors, scanner, iPhones, various mixed media, hand tools, power tools and found objects
duration: 12hr 10min
hard hat, safety glasses, streaming website, multi-channel video broadcast, laptop computers, projectors, scanner, iPhones, various mixed media, hand tools, power tools and found objects
duration: 12hr 10min
early livestream of long-duration performance during which I continuously constructed and destroyed random, non-sensical assemblages from scrap wood and found objects while confined to a small room.