Michael

Score

1. Attend a class presentation
2. Actively listen to the presenter
3. Once presentation is finished, stand up and give a round of applause and verbally compliment the presenter
4. Sit back down as if nothing happened
5. Repeat steps 1-4 for each presentation 

Artist Statement 

Our intervention, Standing Ovation, was heavily inspired by Uncle Roy All Around You which served as a commentary on our willingness to help out strangers. The essential question “Would you be there for a stranger in need?” was asked to Uncle Roy participants and if they answered yes, then a couple of weeks later they would then have to help out a stranger in need. This idea of encouraging people to support those they are not close to inspired us to think about environments where we are surrounded by strangers/acquaintances. Almost instantly, we brought up our classes and how we feel removed from the lives of classmates that we sit next to. When you’re simply listening to a lecture that feeling is irrelevant but once you have to present, the lack of a comforting face can sway your confidence. It feels like no one is actively listening to you speak since you’re not friends with them, so our main goal was to stage an intervention that revolves around changing this common feeling. Presenting isn’t something everyone is comfortable doing, so when your audience shows that they are listening to you and clap at the end can be reassuring and encouraging for future presentations. 

We were also inspired by Eric Andre’s and Impractical Joker’s ‘interventions’ in society and how they influence the bystanders around them. We wanted to explore how our intervention, standing ovation, would affect our fellow classmates. Specifically, mob mentality, which is the inclination that in certain large group situations, humans often neglect their own individual feelings and in the process adopt the behaviors and actions of the people around them. As this iteration of Standing Ovation was performed by two individuals, the likelihood of this mob mentality taking place significantly increased. At the end of Max’s presentation, we acted on the game rules and gave a standing ovation. We observed a massive increase in class applause/engagement than in prior presentations where the standing ovation did not take place. Funny enough, when the ‘late-comers’ entered the classroom soon after, the entire class ended up giving them a standing ovation. In future iterations of the game, we plan to explore individual scenarios where only one player is aware of the game rules.

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Game Rules:

Read the given prompt: Use the found objects in front of you to fill the ‘canvas’ in any way you see fit. (Hint: Keep in mind: color theory and principles of food combination)

Artist Statement: 

My game was inspired by the work of Kurt Schwitters, a Dada-era artist, who is best known for his Merz/collages. His collages are made of discarded objects from everyday life (e.g., wallpaper, newspaper, playing cards, and tickets), which calls attention to their meaning as they surrender their original function in a newfound and abstract form. His work also explores color theory, subject framing, and appropriation, which inspired me in the making of Follage.

So similar to Kurt, I wanted to call attention to the everyday fridge, pantry, and kitchen food items’ original function and have the player surrender it to a newfound and abstract form.

In forming the idea and rules of the game, I considered and explored multiple aspects and scenarios. For example, restricting the player to only solid foods or liquids and telling them the prompt versus having them read it on paper. I found the most productive results to be when the player used both solids and liquids and read the prompt to create more consistency. When playtesting the game in this format, Mabel, my roommate, chose primarily fresh materials and developed a canvas not knowing the meanings behind food combination or color theory. As seen in Exhibit 1, Mabel uses the idea of organic destruction in her “Volcano” piece.

This game puts the focus on the player and requires them to follow a simple prompt. In Exhibit 2, the players did not know the principles of food combination, so I chose not to include the definition, as I wanted them to explore the root of the prompt and/or explore what that meant to them. Player two created an interesting canvas representing a woman, reminding me of the infamous Parisian artist, Man Ray. Player 3 informed me she tried to explore color theory. In the end, players were given little direction, forced to think for themselves, and ended up creating beautiful food collages.

Exhibit/Player 1

Exhibit/Player 2

Exhibit/Player 3

Score:

• Find a friend
• Take a photo 
• In your mind pick a part of the photo
• Give your friend a hint 
• Have your friend guess the part 

Artist Statement: 

This score is inspired and connected to a multitude of people and movements. This summer I was hiking the English countryside with some friends and I found us taking hundreds of photos of the trees, hiking paths, cows, small villages, ourselves, and everything in between. We were immersed in nature, yet focused on using our cameras more than actually being present. I think many of us have become photo bugs and people who love to collect memories via photography. Research done by psychologist Maryanne Garry studies the strong correlation between taking too many photos and memory loss (as well as it creating false memories). With modern technology, it can be an easy trap to fall into. I find myself taking photos of everything around me, as to try to remember events and places better, but in reality, it ends up doing the opposite. By following the score, the idea of purposeful photography is encouraged. 

This score was also heavily inspired by elements of Yoko Ono’s book Grapefruit. “Painting to be stepped on” captures the footsteps of avant-garde musicians and artists in her Chamber Street loft. What I loved about the score and piece was the focus on forgettable or undervalued elements of everyday life. No one would think to capture or pay attention to the footsteps of strangers, yet document them, but I think emphasizing the things we don’t pay a lot of energy or attention to can make us more thoughtful and present with our surroundings. In the case of my own documentation of the instantiation of the score, I wanted to highlight our surroundings specifically when taking thoughtless and/or thoughtful photos. In the conduction of my score, I found not only the guesser learning more about their surroundings, but also the person who took the photo. Both parties shared a mutual increased perception of their surroundings they wouldn’t otherwise experience.

Played the score out on a public beach on the cape. The hint was something striped (the chair on the far left)

A friend took this photo at Snell Library and in playing the score, they found their roommate in the background