2012.02.14
Marginal Arts Festival exhibitions: (exclamations)
As I’ve mentioned a couple of times, the upcoming Marginal Arts Festival just has too much going on for me to list in one sitting. Throughout the week, though, I’m going to try to highlight some of the events that I lacked space for in last week’s print story.
A wall sculpture by Mateo Marquez from "(exclamations)"
This year’s Marginal Arts Festival includes a exhibit of visual and performance art called “(exclamations)” by a number of regional artists, many of them new faces in the Roanoke Valley art scene. Organized by Amanda Agricola and Mateo Marquez, the show includes work by Tiffany Robinette and Julia Schneider of last year’s Unicorn Stables Project, filmmaker Matt Ames and avant garde performance artist Olchar Lindsann, a familiar face to any fans of Roanoke’s No Shame Theatre.
The show also includes a performance by British performance artists Zierle and Carter, who first came to the festival last year and created a performance piece involving coal, salt, ice and plastic stars that was presented at the Taubman Museum of Art (as well as another at Metropolitan Community Church that involved slices of bread wrapped around their heads with fishing line.)
There’ll be events inside the (exclamations) space at 206 Market Square on Friday and Saturday, while the festival is centered in downtown Roanoke, and the exhibit will remain open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday. I’m attaching the schedule of events below, with a caveat that it may be subject to change. (To visit the “(exclamtions)” website, click here.)
FRIDAY, FEB. 17
11am – 4pm Star City Shadow School
11:00 am- Olchar Lindsann, Somasemia: Poems Wearing Meat-Suits
Performative Lecture-Demonstration examining the poetics of interpretation and bodily rhythm in sound poetry, in particular the issue of semic scale of interpretation–on what levels are the ‘text’ and ‘voice’ considered as poetic material–and the ways in which repeated or rehearsed performance brings about a convergence of text, body, and brain.
11:45- John M. Bennett, Micro Artists’ Books, 1980-1982
Powerpoint presentation of collaborative books by John And C. Mehrl Bennett.
12:15- Krista Faist, Seedbomb and Composting Workshop
1:00 pm- C. Mehrl Bennett, Why a Square is a Circle
Fluxus performance lecture which will include a powerpoint slideshow, some info about women artistamp makers, and a reading of a collaboration: The Blaster aka Ackerman Hacks C’s Flux event scores.
1:45- Shelly Smith, Sauerkraut Making
Sauerkraut is cheap, easy to make and delicious. This class will cover the basics of making sauerkraut, safety considerations, troubleshooting tips and more. Open your kitchen to home made fermented food.
2:30- Amanda Agricola, Mateo Marquez, Tomislav Butkovic & Shelly Smith, A Conversation on Art, Technology, and Ethics
An informal conversation exploring intersections of technology, creative practice, and the ethical/ economic/ social issues surrounding them. How might artists and thinkers orient themselves toward emerging technologies in the coming generation?
3:15- Rebecca Weeks, MAF TAZ
Madness, friendship, history and ethics in the avant-garde.
4:00 – 5:00- Potlach
5:00-9:00 pm Performances—Running order:
Fluxus Event Score/s
Post-Neo Simultaneous Poem
Olchar E. Lindsann—ceremonial/phonetic poem
Fluxus Score/s
Post-Neo Action/s
Bradley Chriss—Meat Poem??
Fluxus Score/s
Post-Neo Poem
Zierle-Carter Performance
Rebecca Weeks will be carrying out a programme of actions throughout the evening.
9:00 – ???: Exclamations Opening with music, video work, potential Fluxus scores etc.
SATURDAY, FEB. 18
Earlier in the day:
11:00 am—Giant woodcuts printed w/a steamroller @ the Taubman
12:00-12:30—Marginal Arts Parade. (The Roanoke Post-Neos will be playing ambulatory Hot Potato with screaming rubber chickens, should you care to join in).
12:30-3:00—Absurdist Carnival outside the Taubman.
2:00—Be Blank Consort performs at Community High School. (I feel like this is still part of Exclamations.)
Star City Shadow School @ Exclamations 3pm—5PM:
3:00- Emily Panzeri, Social Work Advocacy and Creative Identity
This discussion will include a brief overview of the social work profession, and examples of micro and macro social advocacy. I will talk about recent projects that I have worked on in the social work sphere, and how this connects with my creative identity as a poet/writer. Participants will also be encouraged to share their advocacy interests and ideas which can be shaped by suggestions from the group. Take-home resources will be provided for further readings and activist opportunities.
3:45- Raymond Higgins, The Lyric Response: Towards a Neo-Modernist Voice
A series of lyrical readings responding to auto-biography, the Canon and an artistic moment guided by the Modernist paradigm. Canonical works to be referenced include Moby-Dick, The Sound and the Fury and Mrs. Dalloway. One contemporary work of lyrical non-fiction by Annie Dillard will also be approached: For the Time Being.
4:30- Emily Panzeri, Social Intersectionality: A Consciousness Raising Experiment
Where are we on the continuum of privilege and oppression? How do we gain a deeper understanding of our culture? This session will involve 2 guided exercises in reflecting on and exploring your personal social intersectionality and privilege (race, class, gender, etc.) and of your culture from your family-of-origin. Take-home resources will be provided for further exploration through readings and exercises.
5:15—8PM Readings—Running Order:
C. Mehrl Bennett
Reid Wood
Imogene Engine
John M.Bennett
