Just a Clown doing their best.
Sometimes when you are doing your absolute best to be a good sport and put on a smile, life can just be hard. Like a kick to the genitals, you are painfully frustrated. Your heart murmurs in anticipation. Small repetitive heart attacks only dissipate when distracted. Sometimes no matter what you do you just get knock down on your face. Until finally, the smallest thing like a grease stain on your shirt or smashing your finger is what breaks you. Like a cheap fire work you explode. Ashamed at how pathetic you are you cry.
As we grow older we learn that feeling never really goes away. It just pops up here and there over the years. Ultimately there is just No Place To Go. You will continue to be haunted by the never ending overwhelm that is existing.
A TOUCH OF SOMETHING NEW…
This is the first time I created a project of this sort. I was able to create a painting, a narrative, a world, an experience all in one piece. An immersive experience was made possible by the founders of No Place To Go Haunted House, Redline Contemporary Art Center, and 40 West Arts. I originally intended to create an initimate room in a large building. That idea quickly transformed into a patio revamp fantasy. In general, COVID did her thing, and all my plans for the visual aspect of the project changed.
The general concept was still the same. A clown who is overwhelmed and reaching their breaking point. My goal for the installation was to create something that illuminates feelings of overwhelm, as though something uncomfortable is looming over a good time. I had many visions for what this could look like at completion. When it actually came down to it, the narrative came alive. Actors Justy Robinson and Sam Gilstrap played the role of a clown who aims to be positive on one of their worst days of life. They are pleasant yet quick to crack. Their home is a cluttered mess, too small for two, yet they play and they fight again and again. The pulse of the space is based on a lack of patience, a breaking, and berating. The energy mimics the anxiety-ridden mini-stroke and a sprinkle of impending doom.
This installation was one among many installations spread throughout the 40 West Art District and Wheat Ridge. The audience was connected to an app that guided their way between artist interpretations of fear. To learn more about the full haunted experience, please click the button below.
