Presented by the Downtown Arts District
STAFF
Barbara Hartley, Festival Manager
Genevieve Bernard, Co-Curator
Vince Kral, Co-Curator
Hjørdis Linn-Blanford, Production Manager
Carey Estes, Designer + Developer
Michele Plant Kroupa, Media Relations
Ashley Zielke, Microsite Master
Whitney Morris, Social Media Strategist
Ha’Ani Hogan , Community Volunteer Coordinator
Ed Woodham, AiOP Founder/Director
Advisory Committee: Julian Chambliss, Patrick Greene, Ena Heller, Sarah Howard, Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz, Yulia Tikhonova, Jonathan Yubi,
From the Curators:
PLAY IS IMPORTANT
One of my favorite teachers once told me “It’s the world you create.”
This applies to so many things, on so many different levels.
Play is an integral part of creating those worlds that we all play in.
Play is simple and fun.
Play is complex and multi-layered.
Play is deep.
Even a literal definition of the word gives us so many interpretations.
Play is everywhere.
Play is important.
Play is controversial. Right now its a hot issue in schools. How much should we let kids play? How much play is important? Parents are fighting in courts for their kids to have recess. Experts are studying how lack of play affects our well being. Innovative companies provide their employees with places to rest and play as they believe that play leads to creativity and productivity. What is the right answer? What is the right amount of play? Why is this an issue?
We play in the virtual world. How does this impact how we play with others in the real world? How does it impact what is happening every day in our country?
Adults are paying top dollar to go on camping retreats where they camp and play childhood games that are curated specifically for them. Why? Why is this necessary? We’re identifying that this is something we need. We’re realizing how a lack of play impacts everything – how we work with others, how we create, how we handle stress, how we handle the dance of life.
Play is necessary. Play is essential.
PLAY is a very rich prompt for artists. The artists we’ve chosen to share works with Orlando have pulled play in many directions – from inviting viewers in to play house with them, asking viewers to remember those monsters under the bed from childhood, to inviting us to engage in games in the street.
Come play with us. It’s important.
– Genevieve Bernard
I LIKE TO PLAY
“I like to play” is a Garth Algar quote from the 1992 movie Wayne’s World that has stuck in my head since signing on to curate this festival. When I was selected to curate Art in Odd Places 2016 PLAY Orlando, I was excited about the one-word theme: PLAY. It looks simple – all fun and games right? On the surface that’s how it appears. But when you start to play around with all of the concepts – it becomes complex. PLAY deals with more than activities perceived as having no meaning or purpose. A prime example are the passionate debates about children in school not having enough time to PLAY – to reset and socialize. I believe that some of the best lessons in life are learned on the playground. I was excited for artists to propose projects that addressed the many concepts of PLAY. I hoped applicants would examine the idea of PLAY using critical thinking and creative problem solving to dig deep into social issues, the current political climate, and social injustices.
The large numbers of quality proposals submitted during the open call thrilled me. Many of them may appear to be simple. Derek Curry and Jennifer Gradecki’s Bankster Games is a video game which the gamer plays against evil zombie bankers may seem like a goofy concept at first. But it’s premise deals with a very serious issue in our society – the lack of economic education. Learning to balance a checkbook is important but what about credit cards, credit scores, borrowing money? You can PLAY now but eventually you are going to have to pay later. But, if you are money smart you are going to wait, save and pay up front. The Privileged Coffee shop by Julia Caston will encourage festivalgoers to think about different levels of privilege in our society by creating a scenario in which privileges are exchanged for a cup of coffee. Again a simple concept creatively executed to address serious societal inequalities that are still very real but are invisible to some, mainly the most privileged. Heather Hubbard’s Positive Process Platform invites you to look at a complete stranger for a period of time without exchanging words. Then each participant takes a photo and gives a compliment to one another – a positive PLAY on conditioned perception, finding the positive rather than the negative.
Sometimes PLAY suggests to play a part and act like something you’re not. Monique Bloom’s Intent to Re-Side, addresses disgruntled Americans who are threatening to move to Canada after the 2016 presidential election. Bloom (a Canadian) helps festivalgoers prepare for the migration north by demonstrating a selection of stereotypical activities. I told her I am a huge Rush fan and ready to move. The multidimensional piece by Jeff Knowlton, At this Very Location will invite the public to participate in a mobile phone based faux historical tour along the festival route.
Do you have a family board game night? Do you gather around the table to have human face-to-face interactions of PLAY? Or do you (like the cable company ads of a father) search the house to find a quiet place to huddle over a tablet to watch a football game while the rest of the family are equally electronically disconnected playing video games or interacting with “friends” on Facebook? Eden Mitsenmacher’s Loading is clever piece that anyone that has ever used a computer before will instantly empathize with. In Camp Inspiration, Camp Lullaby, Kalup Linzy invites passersby to lounge and watch multiple characters he has created in his imaginative and playful videos. Ienke Kastelein Playing with Chairs is an inclusionary interpretation of the old exclusionary game of musical chairs. Rather then exclude people one by one, her work allows people to participate and engage.
The musician in me is delighted to see innovative sonic views on PLAY, such as Klimchak’s When you Whistle, It’s Not Work, his PLAY on the concept was to take a symbol of the drudgery task of washing the dishes – the kitchen sink and transform it into an instrument of playful joy! Lesley and Jared Silva’s – Rhizomatic Sound System Pays tribute to Deleuze and Guattari’s rhizome theory, this piece is an interactive sound sculpture that allows participants to create sonic connections. While playing with “noise”, participants and onlookers are encouraged to rethink music fundamentals while experiencing a one of a kind composition. Musicians spend countless hours rehearsing for an adult version of play, the concert. Preston Poe’s auditory farm to table YouTunes, is a PLAY on the model of iTunes. It’s a great example of the effort required to craft a song. Poe will interview you on Friday or Saturday, and on Sunday he’ll perform a song written especially for you. Some projects are a more straightforward interpretation of the theme and I am eager that festivalgoers can PLAY – Playing with Paint by Stephanie Cafcules will invite visitors to interact with a sculptural installation by using paint. Play Station by Grace Brett will be a Performance using circus arts to encourage interactive play individually and as a group.
The projects mentioned are only the tip of the iceberg. There is something for everyone at this year’s Art in Odd Places 2016: PLAY Orlando!
– Vince Kral
About Art in Odd Places
Art in Odd Places (AiOP) began as an action by a group of artists led by Ed Woodham to encourage local participation in the Cultural Olympiad of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. In 2005, after moving back to New York City, he re imagined it as a response to the dwindling of public space and personal civil liberties – first in the Lower East Side and East Village, and since 2008, on 14th Street in Manhattan. AiOP has always been a grassroots project fueled by the goodwill and inventiveness of its participants.
About Downtown Arts District
Downtown Arts District of Orlando (DADO) is a dedicated nonprofit for advancing arts and economic development in the City of Orlando. Established in 2000, the Arts District represents and serves the arts community through signature programming and public art projects. The Arts District is the producer of the monthly 3rd Thursday Gallery Hop, the annual La Maschera themed arts celebration, and the award-winning network, OrlandoSlice.com. In addition, the Arts District is the parent company to CityArts Factory – downtown’s largest collection of community art galleries, and the home of SAK Comedy Lab. It also manages the Gallery at Avalon Island. Visit orlandoslice.com