on the sacred, the lost, and forgotten relics of live art.
Accepting 1-page proposals responding to a performance relic.
Deadline: October 5, 2019
For WHAT REMAINS we are inviting artists from all over the world to respond to performance relics that we have documented in photographs. Your response should come in the form of a 1-page proposal that can be a performance and/or a concept for displaying the object for the exhibit, which can be an installation, video, or any other artistic expression. Your proposal can be bold, daring, (un)conventional, conceptual, personal, insightful, (de)constructive, (ir)responsible, monumental, fleeting, portable, technical, emotional, minimal, and all of the above. Please know that your 1-page proposal will be considered for display in the exhibition. Our intention is to say yes to all. If we hit the jackpot we will select proposals to be realized for the exhibition and a performance program taking place in Chicago in February 2020. We may also consider your proposal for inclusion in a publication (printed or digital) assembled after the exhibition.
There are two modes in which to craft your proposal:
The name of the artist connected to the relic stays unknown. Your proposal is restricted to the relic only, without taking into account the context of the original performance. For selecting a relic without knowing the historic context, visit this google folder.
You know the artist(s) name and performance to which the relic is connected. In this mode, you are encouraged to inform yourself about the performance for which the relic was used. In some cases you can request the contact information of the first generation artist-object-user by sending an email to [email protected] to help you dig out some more contextual background information for shaping your proposal. (please respect the artist you contact). If your first choice artist has already been contacted several times, we may advise you to choose another relic. For selecting a relic connected to an artist and performance, visit this google folder.
In addition to the photos included in each of the folders above, we have uploaded supplementary images of the relics. They are organized according to the first 3 digits of the relic’s identifying number [without names or titles], and can be found in this folder.
Your proposal should be no more than one page long, preferably in portrait orientation. We encourage you to treat your proposal as a work of art. You can use text, drawing, collage, or any other artistic means, as long as it fits on one A4/letter size page in PDF format. In addition to your 1-page proposal, we ask that you provide us with a brief text about you and your art (500 word max.), links [or uploads] to online portfolio or work samples, and whether you might be able to find financial support to come to Chicago.
Submission deadline : Oct 5, 2019
Notification applicants: Oct 15, 2019
What Remains Exhibition: Feb 5-29, 2019
FILL OUT THIS ONLINE APPLICATION
Please note that funding for this project is pending. At the moment it is unclear what we can provide financially if we select your proposal for realization.
TO CONTEXTUALIZE THIS PROJECT:
Since the opening of Defibrillator Performance Art Gallery in December 2010, founder and director Joseph Ravens has collected a huge number of physical remains from performances that have taken place at the venue over the years. Being fascinated by this collection, Dutch artist ieke Trinks proposed this project to reanimate and exhibit the collection in collaboration with Defibrillator. The exhibition in February 2020 will include relics along with the proposals, live performances, discussions, and a post-event publication.
Through this project, we invite artists to explore the significance of material leftover from performance. What affects an object’s status? What value does it have when it is not specifically an artwork itself, or not intended to be an art object that stands on its own? These materials are relics that once had a functional or symbolic purpose. In performance art an object can mean many things, transcending its practical usage. It can be full of symbolism and, at the same time, just a physical object. During an action, an object’s identity and shape can change significantly. There are objects that speak for the artist, or invite audience members to participate. In some cases objects are forced into a use for which they were never intended. In theater terms, the objects in performance are called props. It’s been said that the origin of the word props comes from property, the theater company’s property. Returning to the idea of ‘property’ in relation to Joseph’s relic collection, it will challenge us with the question of who the actual owner of the object is and to what degree an object can be physically altered. What happens with the relic when it is reused in a new performance? This relic will become a relic of two different events. Will this make the relic more valuable? And what if a relic in a broken shape is repaired? Does the relic still exist?
We invite proposals that consider any of these factors, and beyond. This project is an experiment, and we don’t know what to expect and what will come out of it. We are eager to learn not only how the proposals can activate each relic and how they might generate new works, but also how they will touch on and review the earlier performance pieces programmed by Defibrillator in the previous years.
ieke Trinks [www.ieketrinks.nl] lives and works in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. She’s a visual and performance artist, who occasionally organizes performance events in the Netherlands. In the past years she has focused on performance art and its leftovers in different forms, such as memories and photographs.
Defibrillator Performance Art Gallery [www.DFBRL8R.org] is an international platform for Performance Art known for bold and courageous programming that aims to provoke thought and stimulate discourse surrounding experimental time-based practices. DFBRL8R actively contributes to a global dialog surrounding conceptual, ephemeral, or enigmatic modes of expression – aiming to raise awareness, appreciation, and respect for the discipline of Performance Art. DFBRL8R is a 501c3 organization based at Zhou B Art Center in Chicago’s historic Bridgeport neighborhood.
