I’ve had some difficulty approaching how to unpack last week’s You Are An I. Mostly because of the levels of exchange – sensory, dialogical, instructive – that took place in such a short period of time. It’s impossible to capture completely what transpired and I know that that is entirely intentional on CamLab’s behalf. I’m also in the process of gathering contact information for the workshop participants and facilitators and will use this space to provide reflections on the project and the workshops from (what I hope to be) a multitude of voices.
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Published on February 10, 2012
by Melinda Guillen
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Happy Friday everyone.

Did you happen to catch some of the amazing workshops last night, as part of You Are An I? If so, I’d love to talk to you.

I’m going to try something new over the next few weeks to unpack last night’s series of workshops that emulates CamLab’s curatorial methodology in You Are An I. I’d like to feature the experiences of workshop attendees and I’ll also try my best to contact the facilitators for some responses to the night.
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Published on February 3, 2012
by Melinda Guillen
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Published on February 1, 2012
by MOCA
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Where did this week go? Sorry folks I’ve been a little busy. I hope you’re ready for the conclusion on my analyses, assumptions and rants regarding Dubious Equalities because February’s You Are An I is fast approaching. (This post also has absolutely nothing to do with Marx’s notion of “historical materialism” and everything to do with materiality and parts of art history.)

So let’s begin with some theoretical framing from the incredible feminist art writer and activist Lucy Lippard. Those that know me or have read some of my work already know how much Lippard’s astute and courageous theorizations have influenced two generations of artists, critics and activists.

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Published on January 27, 2012
by Melinda Guillen
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Photos from the “Rust and Bludoir” room at Dubious Equalities.
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Published on January 20, 2012
by MOCA
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A preview of the workshops on offer February 2 at the Geffen. Please join us in our encompassing encampment for engrossing embodiment. Each session is 30 minutes and will begin at 7:15, 8:00, 8:45, and 9:30. Dress for indoor/outdoor conditions.

BODIES LOCATING BODIES: A SENSATIONAL CARTOGRAPHY
Facilitator: Alexandra Shilling
Sublimating our sense of sight, participants will dive into an internal experience that is both self- and partner-guided as a way of locating one’s self in the world, in this moment. We will use and value our bodies as both tools and sensorial partners for observation, topographic and ethnographic study, and movement conversation.

WHAT IS HORIZONTALISM?
Facilitator: Ken Ehrlich
Taking cues from strategies of self determination developed in Argentina following the economic crisis of 2001 and the occupy movement, this workshop will explore strategies of democratic decision making. What does leaderless decision making look like when it acknowledges rather than tries to smooth over antagonisms? We will experiment with alternative forms of decision making, using simple techniques based on personal experience and writing exercises.

MISCOMMUNICATIONS OF MIND AND BODY: AN EXPERIENTIAL WORKSHOP WITH EMOTIONAL FREEDOM TECHNIQUE
Facilitator: Jon Boyd Barrett
It is easy to recognize particular memories and thoughts that bring up uncomfortable feelings and emotions, yet most of us remain largely unaware as to the extent of which these thoughts and feelings influence our lives on a daily basis. This workshop connects the dots, and through the use of EFT you will experience your thoughts, feelings and pains disappear in a matter of minutes.

GOOD COMMUNICATION SKILLS ARE THE FOUNDATION OF PERSONAL SAFETY AND WELL-BEING
Facilitators: Lisa Gaeta + Heidi Hornbacher
This workshop will introduce verbal strategies as well as basic strikes for the most common assault situations. Students gain a basic understanding of adrenaline-state training. We believe that everyone’s life is worth fighting for and we know that most assailants want an easy “target.” Offering ANY resistance is often enough for “target denial.”

WAYWARD EMPATH
Facilitators: Chris Diaz + Vivian Babuts
Workshop participants will be guided in interactions with each other and their bodies and voices, in order to facilitate transcendent understanding, and an experience that challenges the idea of human bodies as separate beings. Concepts based in dualities and ideas of right and wrong, good and bad, male and female, truth and lie, life and death will be explored.

Published on January 20, 2012
by CamLab
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So there’s quite a bit of activity going on here in Los Angeles, especially for performance and public art, so I’ll keep this one brief. Or at least attempt to keep it short by focusing on one small detail from Dubious Equalities. Those in attendance may recall the clear vases sitting on the white coffee tables in the lobby/living room/waiting room area that were filled with pink matchbooks.

When CamLab generously gifted me a set of the matchbooks late last year, it didn’t immediately strike me (pun intended) how these particularly little pieces of ephemera would play out in the context of the project, within the confines of the museum. But as the night unraveled, I began thinking of the playful criticality of artist Louise Lawler.

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Published on January 19, 2012
by Melinda Guillen
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Enjoy this set of photos from CamLab’s first Engagement Party event, Dubious Equalities. Photos by Christina Edwards.

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Published on January 18, 2012
by MOCA
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I’ve previously written about the Rust and Bludoir (transformed Rothko room) and so today I’ll focus on the participatory elements held in the main lobby space from last Thursday’s Dubious Equalities. I didn’t expect to write about it in such a disjointed fashion but it’s how deconstructing the work makes the most sense to me.

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Published on January 10, 2012
by Melinda Guillen
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There’s plenty to unpack regarding last night’s Dubious Equalities. I’m ecstatic to have been afforded quite a bit of time to explicate the complexities of such a performative installation, as opposed to attempting to draft an all encompassing one shot review. There are important layers to Dubious Equalities: conceptual, material, spatial, social and political – all deeply intertwined within a three-hour package. I’m still processing them but it’s my goal to tackle all of them over the next couple of weeks. I mean, it’s why I’m here, right?

So, I’m going to take the next few days to mull things over a bit and strategize how to proceed. For now, I’ll leave you with two (shoddy) images taken on my phone from the Rust and Bludoir room. Participants were led hostess-style by the artists from the lobby and into the gallery space. The room had been transformed into a bedroom, complete with all the requisite furnishings but with the addition of two drop lights and a speaker playing the two songs from Hotel La Rut on a loop.

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Published on January 6, 2012
by Melinda Guillen
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