FIX09 is up and running after Saturday night’s opening and the event got off to a great start with Anthony Schrag’s Beer Tree, also an immersive and engaging performance from Steven Anderson and Hideous Beast set up their ODD JOBS workstation. Now, I’m wary of writing a review-like description of the events, but it’s only fair that I give an outline and some initial impressions of the evening. I will add further responses later.
Firstly, the Beer Tree was a wonderful piece to open with: strange fruit hanging from the wooden tree, the scent of beer sweet and fresh, then the sudden crash of breaking bottle, beer on the leaves, beer at the roots. It was a tricky thing to negotiate and as the night grew on it didn’t get any easier. Though, if you’re a non-drinker it made for a lonely scene. A question that often arises in live art is about the difference between the visual and the act; the answer provided here is beer.
Steven Anderson’s performance was a very well orchestrated and considered piece, creating tangible shifts in our perceptions and awareness. We, as receivers or participants, fluctuated between faith, fantasy, empathy, ritual, being-in-the-moment and submitting to a waking-like half-reality. I will try to organise an interview with the artist on these pages soon to discuss the issues, concepts and meta-structures in the work.
Finally for this first night, Hideous Beast were hard at work taking bookings for their ODD JOBS service. Helping other artists in a number of ways from installing and uninstalling shows to gardening, moving house and collecting groceries. I have a job in mind for them to do and am looking forward to our meeting tomorrow to give them my instructions. Although they did say they have certain boundaries and ethics, so a bit of negotiation will be needed.
