In her new exhibit at the Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts, artist Dawn Kasper's works are not the only thing on display - the artist herself will be living in the space, putting herself and her personal belongings at the center of the installation entitled "Everything you could ever want and be, you already have and are."
Kasper has been creating such exhibits for the past three years in various museums, but this is the first time she has installed her work on a college campus. Her installations are catered to her specific audience and location, Kasper said.
This form of "nomadic studio installations" arose after Kasper found herself broke and without a studio in 2008, she said. It was in this moment of anxiety that she decided to "take an experience of fear and use that to (her) advantage," she said.
Kasper's exhibit brings a new form of performance art that Brown has not yet experienced, said Chira Delsesto, assistant director of the Creative Arts Council. "This installation is something that is very different for us. Previous exhibits have mostly been traditional stuff - multimedia pieces, hangings on the wall. This exhibit will make us rethink what a gallery is," she added.
When they arrive at the Cohen Gallery in the Granoff Center, viewers encounter all of Kasper's belongings strewn across the room. VHS tapes, a bike, drum sets, toolboxes, cassettes, shoes and a Stevie Nicks concert ticket are among the items on the floor. What is usually considered art - drawings, photographs and magazine collages - is only a small component of the installation. The focus falls instead on everyday objects and "exposing the interactions" she has with them, Kasper said.
Kasper performed during the opening reception held Thursday. Her emphasis on "moving and rearranging and reinstalling" her belongings is evident in her performance style. She appears to be in her own world as she moves around the room, moving stacks of books, changing her clothes, taking down wall hangings, setting up tables and clanging cymbals. Crackling music and voice recordings play in the background.
Attendees often appeared jolted by Kasper's frantic performing style.
"The music and the sounds are striking," said Victoria Ferruccio, a local resident. "They really set the mood for a more intense performance."
Lily Gutterman '14.5 said she felt a personal connection to the exhibit, which she said captured "the anxiety of student life" and life in general.
While Kasper's show is still running - it continues through Oct. 5 - she will also be conducting three workshops in conjunction with VISA 1800L: "Hybrid Art: Performance, Object and Everyday Life."
Following her time at Brown, Kasper will take her installation to Brooklyn, N.Y., after which she is planning a solo show in Los Angeles in September 2013.
ADVERTISEMENT
