I WANT

Life is an installation... well, lets say I can't keep myself from making art from what's around me. It can be tiresome for some of the people in my life, or lots of fun. This weekend was FUN. Facing a studio move with numerous decisions about what to take and what to leave behind, I am reminded of the agency of things. Purging can be cleansing. Letting go of obsolete materials and clinging to the precious produce datapoints that help define the who/what/why of the new you, in the new place. It can be painful and awkward but most definitely is exhausting.

So, let's make a game out of it. Let's see if interacting with others about their desires can give me the necessary energy and motivation to organize mine.  It couldn't have been better timing because my last weekend at Joy Street happened to be Open Studios with an instant audience of potential participants. In order to play, one needed to enter my studio to say hi and then receive a strip of red dots to vote with. My ulterior motive was the hope that they take away some yard sale items while they were at it, and thus lighten my load.

Red dots are a loaded symbol to all practicing artists. They signify a sale or transaction. In this case a friendly hello is all that was required in exchange for a chance to express oneself. A book was provided for those who couldn't find what they were looking for from the offerings. As of last night there were many new entries that will be filed away for the future.

This was the perfect environment for the double entendre - artists WANTing to sell, art admirers WANTing to own - and sometimes the interaction would actually happen, resulting in a big fat juicy red dot! I WANT also made space for metaphor by reflecting in a small way what people are looking for - both the material and the sublime.

The options provided were collected from casual surveys of colleagues, friends and family. I WANTed to make sure there was more than one perspective represented. I was pleased to see how much time everyone spent thinking about what they WANTed and I witnessed many intense discussions about everything from vegetarianism to what it means to teleport.

The energy that happened outside my door the entire weekend reinforces what I believe - that people crave connection. Thanks to everyone who played with me, I am totally energized and ready to move.

Here's where I'm going:

Miller Street Studios

11 Miller Street

Somerville