The Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago is currently presenting a series of performances called "Without You I'm Nothing: Interactions" January 4 - May 1, 2011, a component of the exhibition "Without You I'm Nothing." While the exhibition at large examines how artists have incorporated the museum audience or "viewers" into conceptual pieces over the last few decades, this performance series specifically provides an opportunity to experience the promised inclusion the exhibition puts on display. A full list of the performances can be found here. I have highlighted the ones below that operate outside of the visual realm. These performances are good examples of the kind of work PLEASE TOUCH THE ARTWORK aims to highlight, namely, contemporary art that is accessible because of its purposeful operation outside of the hegemonic viewer-object relationship normally supported by museums. As this exhibition and performance series shows, artwork has been created over the last few decades in order to push the boundaries of traditional "viewing" practices. These pieces can be engaged with by the visually impaired as they were intended to be, with no sensory translation necessary.
Nance Klehm: Culture of Soil
February 5: Sat 3 pm
In traditional agricultural communities, the new moon marks the beginning of spring when the tree sap starts running. On Saturday at 3 pm, Klehm hosts an outdoor fire in the MCA's Sculpture Garden where maple syrup tea is made and shared, then the work continues on a walk where Klehm tells stories about the uses of trees within the urban landscape.
Coppice (Noé Cuéllar and Joseph Kramer): Vinculum (Coincidence)
February 8-13: Tues, 1-3 pm and 5-7 pm; Wed-Sun 1-3 pm
Live performances for two accordions with four speakers play back pre-recorded sounds. The gallery is filled with multiple sounds, all at a moderate volume. The score is procedural, deriving its instructions from coincidences between two accordions as they intersect with the pre-recorded material and the activity in the space.
Dexter Bullard: The Dialogues
March 15-20: Tues 7-8 pm; Thurs-Sat 3-4 pm
These performances involve pairs of well known Chicago-rooted performers who have a conversation over the phone, not knowing who they are talking to. The audience listens in on the conversation while a guest sound artist mixes a hypnotic sonic sound, adding an additional dimension to the changing tone of the conversations.
Jonathan Chen: 19 situations for six improvisers: a system for hearing
March 29 - April 2: Tues 7-8 pm; Thurs and Sat, 2-3 pm
In this improvisational work each musician is provided with a pair of headphones to listen to another performer. The musicians improvise in response to the other musicians they hear, although this changes throughout the performance. Audience members are able to use the headphones to hear exactly the same sound as the musician they are near. The audience can experience the multiple perspectives central to the work by moving between the spaces occupied by each musician and listening to what the musicians are hearing through the headphones.
Amber Ginsburg and Lia Rousset: Viewing Soundscapes: Tapping the Audience
April 12-17: during museum hours
Tapping the Audience invites the audience to slip on a pair of tap shoes, amplifying the gallery experience and creating an audible acknowledgment of our physical patterns of viewing.
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