THIS EVENT HAS PASSED
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Every step I take during this durational performance will be a milestone bringing me closer to the end of the cross-country walk. The emotional aspects of this piece, however, start long before I hit the trail. In the months leading up to the excursion, I will sort through decades’ worth of stockpiled remnants. These hoarded artifacts, consisting of printed text message conversations, emails, and photographs, will be compressed into briquette shaped objects using a custom built compound lever press. These pieces will be held in a water-proof container that I carry the length of the performance, the physical weight of which parallel the emotional struggles of long distance relationships. During the performance the sculpted artifacts will burn in a small camping stove, producing the fire necessary for survival on the grueling trek. Creating something new from painful memories, and then using those objects to directly fuel this performance, will be one of the most significant moments of this piece. In addition, I will document through written journals, photographs, and video the walk across the United States to provide further more in depth context to “Close • ness”. The trip provides me a chance to be, consumed in thought, while unburdening both my pack and mind to become lighter the farther I travel.
Finding closure out in the openness. Close • ness.
