Deva Eveland: Expedition to Unknown Regions (Nowhere in Particular)

Performance

March 28 – April 1^st, 2006

Project Description

For five days, performance artist Deva Eveland will inhabit the empty, unfamiliar gallery space in a self-constructed condition of sensorial blankness. Through the creation of a specific set of absurd living conditions and activities, Eveland questions the role of the artist both on an individual and art historical level within the frame of the gallery space. The human presence as artwork also serves to symbolize the experience and processes of art making and its unpredicted associations, actions and results.

Walking into the gallery with everything on his back, the artist intends toinvestigate both the notion of self-sufficiancy – its possibilities and failures, as well as the materials and activities usually associated with exploration : mapping, claiming territory, marking borders, and stockpiling. Working backwards to reverse engineer his uncharted surroundings with limited and primitive supplies, we are reminded of the absurdness of these activities and the ensuing possibilities of resistance to the imperative of institutionalization.

Constantly evolving and dynamic,  live art focuses on alternative constructions of reality by offering diverse modes of production and reception. The complex relational give and take of meaning and understanding between participants aims for the creation of shared meaning and value.