Video by Paul Shortt from last Soapbox, Contemporary Farewells: New Ways of Saying Goodbye. Soapbox, August 17, 2012. Hillyer Art Space
As the Performance Coordinator at Hillyer, it only made sense to be Paul’s assistant during the performance. See Paul’s Blog here.
We’re going to miss you Paul while you finish school and can’t wait to get you back to DC next year! (Imaginary Baby Bye.)
By Christina Sturdivant on Aug 21, 2012
“On Friday, I was devirginized to Hillyer Art Space’s monthly Soapbox series. The exhibition, entitled Trust Us, included performances contrived by artists Paul Shortt and Samuel Scharf.
When I researched the event, it was described as an interactive performance facilitated by an artistic duo relying on audience members to complete the artists’ works. Like most descriptions, this could be interpreted quite a few ways, so I was anxious to see what was in store.
Walking into the gallery, my attention was quickly drawn away from the hand-crafted art that decorated the walls to Scharf, or rather, his first victim. Scharf’s performance could easily be described as a human puppet show, but rather than the bodies of his puppeteers being dangled by a string, each participant was adorned with a blindfold, headphones and sound piece.
As Scharf stood atop a small, elevated platform in the corner of the room, he guided his assistants through tasks as simple as walking across the gallery, to laying on the floor, to holding conversations with complete strangers.
For approximately three to five minutes, each person was subjected to the control of Mr. Scharf, who simply asked them to “Trust me.”
One bold volunteer explained her experience to me. She said, “I felt really vulnerable—almost like a doll letting someone control my movements. I didn’t know if he would take advantage of the situation and maybe have me do something crazy like destroy the artwork.”
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follow link to read the rest
This month’s Soapbox features two guys asking you to trust them. Is it an appeal, a suggestion, a command? Soapbox is going to deal with power structures in performance, in multiple ways. You may experience doubt, fear, comfort, and gratitude, among many more sentiments performance occasions.
Soapbox is on a Friday this month, as opposed to its more usual Thursday.
For this Soapbox, I put the two artists together because of their striking similarities and yet entirely different approaches to performance. Sam and Paul are 30 and 29, respectively. Sam just received his MFA from AU this year, and Paul will in 2013 from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Their work is interdisciplinary, with a heavy emphasis on sculpture and participatory works, though performance is a more significant part of Paul’s overall practice. And they are both big guys with beards. And while their individual performances are going to differ entirely, they’ve come together to collaborate for the final piece of the show.
“Each artist has developed an interactive performance relying on the viewer to complete their works. Paul will be hosting an assortment of “Contemporary Farewells” while Sam will be leading the viewer through a variety of interactions entitled “Trust me.” Afterwards, you are welcome to receive your mystery award, handmade by the artist as a thank you for your participation.”
Snippet of video from Thursday, August 2, 2012. Paul Shortt presented a few previews from Contemporary Farewells, sneak peek of his Soapbox performance on August 17, 2012. Hillyer Art Space, Phillips Collection Food Truck Fiesta After Party. Sorry about the terrible video quality! www.paulshortt.com
As an artist new to Washington D.C., being a part of the Blowout Performance Art Festival at Hillyer Art Space was a unique opportunity for me not only to perform but also to experience the thriving art scene in the District. I found the performances varied in style and craft from performer to performer, creating an interesting mix of engaging performances. The opportunity to perform and interact with audience members throughout the day created an intimate atmosphere and a collective experience not often felt at art events.
Artist Paul Shortt performed “The Car My Father Gave Me” at Blowout, DC Performance Art Festival on June 16, 2012. Paul’s piece was at the end of the day, and he was one of the few people to see almost every performance. “The Car My Father Gave Me” (youtube) is a performance like a lecture, incorporating a powerpoint presentation. The work is a slideshow through different cars in Paul’s life and explores his relationship through cars with this father- ending in playing a recording made in the car while his father taught him to drive stick shift.
Paul will be performing in August Soapbox with Sam Scharff- August, 17 2012!
