photos: Bob RaymondKaren Klein
"Brand Names"
cedar, styrofoam, cardboard, paper, mixed media
The purpose of this installation is to call attention to the comodification of shoes and of art. The artist states that her work: “It is not part of any performance, but could be destroyed during a performance, or persons, could throw their shoes at the tower of shoe boxes, if they wished.”
Karen Klein is a visual artist and a dancer. As an artist, she makes wood and wire sculptures, installations, and ink drawings. A member of New England Sculptors and Studios Without Walls, she has had eight solo exhibitions and been in numerous juried and invitational shows. As a dancer, she is a member of Prometheus Dance Elders Ensemble and has also performed in works choreographed by Daniel McCusker, Emily Beattie, and Kee Chin.
www.nesculptors.com
www.gallery333.com
Notes from the curator:
1. The small cedar shoe was hand carved by the artist.
2. Karen Klein generously donated the entire installation to Mobius including the cedar shoe and the sequined high heeled shoes which were used to activate John Murphree's gong installation by various performers, audience members and visitors to the exhibit. The artist said her days of wearing the sequined shoes are long over and if anyone can fit into them and would like them, they are welcome to them. Needless to say, the curator kept the cedar shoe as a memento of The Politics of Shoes.
How Karen Klein's installation was used in performance:
If you want to experience a sped up version of what the audience experienced, watch Video #1.
If you'd just like to skip directly to where Karen Klein's is actually "manipulated", watch Video #2.
Video #1:
** SPOILER WARNING - VIDEO #2 and DISCUSSION BELOW **
Video #2:
Karen Klein is a visual artist and a dancer. As an artist, she makes wood and wire sculptures, installations, and ink drawings. A member of New England Sculptors and Studios Without Walls, she has had eight solo exhibitions and been in numerous juried and invitational shows. As a dancer, she is a member of Prometheus Dance Elders Ensemble and has also performed in works choreographed by Daniel McCusker, Emily Beattie, and Kee Chin.
www.nesculptors.com
www.gallery333.com
Notes from the curator:
1. The small cedar shoe was hand carved by the artist.
2. Karen Klein generously donated the entire installation to Mobius including the cedar shoe and the sequined high heeled shoes which were used to activate John Murphree's gong installation by various performers, audience members and visitors to the exhibit. The artist said her days of wearing the sequined shoes are long over and if anyone can fit into them and would like them, they are welcome to them. Needless to say, the curator kept the cedar shoe as a memento of The Politics of Shoes.
How Karen Klein's installation was used in performance:
If you want to experience a sped up version of what the audience experienced, watch Video #1.
If you'd just like to skip directly to where Karen Klein's is actually "manipulated", watch Video #2.
Video #1:
Moving Sound Meditation on Sam Tan's '63 in '08" The Politics of Shoes @mobius - Shorter version 7:20 mins from MobiusArtistsGroup on Vimeo.
** SPOILER WARNING - VIDEO #2 and DISCUSSION BELOW **
Video #2:
Performance vs. Theater discussion:
The destruction of the artist's installation was referenced in a discussion amongst members of the Mobius Artists Group. I've included the salient points here:
From Margaret Bellafiore to the group in answer to Tom Plsek's question:
"RE answering the question:Theatre and/vs? Performance, the range of answers would be quite personal, I would think. For me, I find Performance converges with life, or "life" or LIFE, while Theatre, for the most part, does not, though sometimes it does. (!) I can think of a very recent example, where there seemed to be a convergence of Theatre, Performance and Life. Last night, Jane was dragging bells in the space in an improvisational way ( aha, improv seems more a part of Performance and not Theatre, again for the most part). Then another "performer and/or actor" (Karen Klein, I believe) charged into the space from outside wearing a wig and carring a large bright red pocketbook. She proceeded to smash up a small installation swinging that red bag, beating it to smithereens ( aha, the presence of smithereens might be key part of Performance or perhaps Theatre, or perhaps both!) Then, she left, storming out the front door. All during this time, Jane continued to drag bells. It seemed to me, that tit was the interaction of the two women in the space that felt like performance because it seemed neither one really knew (I assume) what the other was going to do next. (The actions of Karen if she had done it alone felt like Theatre.) Before I delete all of the above, as I am realizing I can't aswer your question-- I do want to note what felt last night like 100% Performance: Some people were walking outside the space on the sidewalk during some movement actions and stopped to gawk through the windows at the patio end. Then, they really started to pay attention and began slowly walking to the other side, watching and slowly becoming part of the piece inside. When they reached the far end, they waved and clapped and the audience inside did the same. Those moments of unpredictability and convergence: is that it? AHHHH!"
From Jane Wang to the group:
"hi all. would you believe that was actually Liz Roncka and also the piece being smashed was by Karen Klein (who is also a dancer a strange coincidence no?) i was originally going to just do a SHORT walk thru the gallery somewhat serious and somber even with my stupid wild outfit but i was thinking rashomon or some other trippy japanese film... but then the night before i told liz, longingly - that karen really wanted someone to destroy her piece (and i really wanted someone to do it) so liz said - ok i'll do it -- and then she came up with the idea of running in and smashing the thing and running out... she was further fueled by Haggai (the musician she performed with on Sat and Sun) basically saying he didn't believe she would do it -- a DARE if you wish... we thought about whose performance she could interrupt and then i thought well maybe i'll turn my piece into a durational "waiting for liz " piece and make it deliberately long and dreary and when will this stupid thing be over already... but that doesn't answer tom's question either... (-:"
video credits: Charles Daniels, Matt Samolis, Liz Roncka, Jane Wang
Email from Karen Klein - June 14, 2009:
"I loved seeing the video--you draped like some ancient figure and Liz romping through my installation. Also loved how she used the actual shoes as weapons. That made me realize that we do use shoes as weapons. Think of Nancy Sinatra's "These boots are made for walkin'" for the gender wars and the jackboots of thugs and paramilitaries who kick folks into submission. Our term 'kick ass' hides the shoe image but implies it."
The destruction of the artist's installation was referenced in a discussion amongst members of the Mobius Artists Group. I've included the salient points here:
From Margaret Bellafiore to the group in answer to Tom Plsek's question:
"RE answering the question:Theatre and/vs? Performance, the range of answers would be quite personal, I would think. For me, I find Performance converges with life, or "life" or LIFE, while Theatre, for the most part, does not, though sometimes it does. (!) I can think of a very recent example, where there seemed to be a convergence of Theatre, Performance and Life. Last night, Jane was dragging bells in the space in an improvisational way ( aha, improv seems more a part of Performance and not Theatre, again for the most part). Then another "performer and/or actor" (Karen Klein, I believe) charged into the space from outside wearing a wig and carring a large bright red pocketbook. She proceeded to smash up a small installation swinging that red bag, beating it to smithereens ( aha, the presence of smithereens might be key part of Performance or perhaps Theatre, or perhaps both!) Then, she left, storming out the front door. All during this time, Jane continued to drag bells. It seemed to me, that tit was the interaction of the two women in the space that felt like performance because it seemed neither one really knew (I assume) what the other was going to do next. (The actions of Karen if she had done it alone felt like Theatre.) Before I delete all of the above, as I am realizing I can't aswer your question-- I do want to note what felt last night like 100% Performance: Some people were walking outside the space on the sidewalk during some movement actions and stopped to gawk through the windows at the patio end. Then, they really started to pay attention and began slowly walking to the other side, watching and slowly becoming part of the piece inside. When they reached the far end, they waved and clapped and the audience inside did the same. Those moments of unpredictability and convergence: is that it? AHHHH!"
From Jane Wang to the group:
"hi all. would you believe that was actually Liz Roncka and also the piece being smashed was by Karen Klein (who is also a dancer a strange coincidence no?) i was originally going to just do a SHORT walk thru the gallery somewhat serious and somber even with my stupid wild outfit but i was thinking rashomon or some other trippy japanese film... but then the night before i told liz, longingly - that karen really wanted someone to destroy her piece (and i really wanted someone to do it) so liz said - ok i'll do it -- and then she came up with the idea of running in and smashing the thing and running out... she was further fueled by Haggai (the musician she performed with on Sat and Sun) basically saying he didn't believe she would do it -- a DARE if you wish... we thought about whose performance she could interrupt and then i thought well maybe i'll turn my piece into a durational "waiting for liz " piece and make it deliberately long and dreary and when will this stupid thing be over already... but that doesn't answer tom's question either... (-:"
video credits: Charles Daniels, Matt Samolis, Liz Roncka, Jane Wang
Email from Karen Klein - June 14, 2009:
"I loved seeing the video--you draped like some ancient figure and Liz romping through my installation. Also loved how she used the actual shoes as weapons. That made me realize that we do use shoes as weapons. Think of Nancy Sinatra's "These boots are made for walkin'" for the gender wars and the jackboots of thugs and paramilitaries who kick folks into submission. Our term 'kick ass' hides the shoe image but implies it."
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