Interdisciplinary Works

I Don’t Own A Gun can stand alone, but is excerpted from a 10-min. monologue about suicide. This, in turn, is part of a much larger work, IN PASSING, a multi-room theatrical installation which explores our relationship with mortality, exploring variations of death through spoken word, movement, art, photography, animation, light, performance, and a variety of musical genres. Each “performance” room immerses the museum-goers with one of four distinct human brushes with mortality: the peaceful passing of an elderly person; suicide and its ramifications in communities; death from ravaging disease; and our shocking experiences with terrorism, war, and murder. A central communal space connects each of the rooms, offering soothing ambience, tea, wine, and flexible seating. Visitors can express larger emotions in private scream and punching booths.

I have begun my work on this massive project by addressing suicide. As part of my research, I have learned the universal affects death can have upon a community. We are all affected by loss, and we all face death, yet we avoid engaging in real dialogue about it. With art as a catalyst, it is hoped that the individual experience of this work, within a community setting, can spark conversation about this most universal experience, and that what we take away the most from this experience is the very awareness of being alive.

ORIGINS-INTROSPECTIONS-AMALGAMATIONS-ACTIONS is an online installation being created in collaboration with artist Abigail Sloan, of Portland, OR. Using hyper-emotional images, vocalizations, words, video and other imagery, sound samples of the world around us, and music, we are creating a dreamlike, surreal world which morphs into a flexible narrative. Contemplating this time of worldwide pandemic, we look back to our origins as a universe and as humans, reflecting on the isolation we’ve experienced during this stressful time, and examining our relationship with the current political climate, racial unrest, and fear of becoming ill with a life-threatening virus, concluding that social distance does not mean emotional disconnection; that this is a time of evolution; boredom and desire can birth great creativity and ingenuity, sparking a great renaissance.

This current clip (ORIGINS) features a scientist’s re-creation of the sound of the Big Bang (used by permission), cosmic background radiation, whispers, software instruments, and water samples. The opening image is by Abigail Sloan.