Sweet Gongs Vibrating at SDAI / March 13, 2016

A glimpse of my contribution to Sweet Gongs Vibrating. This photo should tell you very little, which is the point.

There is so much I like about what this show promises. First off, I like that I'm in it. But even if I weren't, I'd be stoked on the idea that an exhibition of this scale is getting institutional support in San Diego, a town that has a fairly conservative contemporary art scene. A lot credit goes to Ginger Shulick Porcella and what she is doing at SDAI. The way the museum reinvents itself from exhibition to exhibition reminds me of some of the kunsthalles in Europe that use their space as a platform for experimentation. Part of her success is in her ability to recruit new and interesting curators through the museum's Curator-in-Residence program. Sweet Gongs Vibrating is one such outcome of this program. Amanda Cachia has curated this exhibition in a way that levels the sensory playing field in the so-called 'visual arts.' This is the kind of multi-sensory exhibition that will propose new ways to experience the world.

From the Sweet Gongs press release: Imagine learning new information about a body, a material or a place through the sweet taste of ice-cream, or the gong of a sculpture, or the vibration in a wall. Through direct, embodied visitor contact, Sweet Gongs Vibrating aspires to activate the sensorial qualities of objects in order to illustrate alternative narratives regarding access, place and space.

My contribution to the show will be a piece titled, Let's call it grass (spoiler alert), which is a collaboration with Dutch writer Anna van Suchtelen. It uses the durational element of smells to create a narrative that is both smelled and read over time.

I will also be performing with Sean Francis Conway on May 14. The piece is called Odophonics and is a performance for scent and chamber musicians. More on this later.

Be sure to check out the full Sweet Gongs Vibrating press release here.