Slow Art Day
“THE VISIBLE AND THE INVISIBLE BEING”
Chapman, Kincheloe and McKellar
APRIL 13. 2024
“THE VISIBLE AND THE INVISIBLE BEING”
LISTEN BELOW
Slow Art Day, on April 13, 2024, marked the initiation of Phase II: The visible and the INVisible BEING. Building on the progress made in 2023, Victoria Chapman and Stevie Kincheloe seamlessly integrated selected text from maurice Merleau-Ponty's "The Visible and the Invisible." This year welcomed Steven Dayvid McKellar, contributing his voice to the spoken word segment.
In the previous year's performance, a ritual unfolded involving the deliberate tearing and release of book pages into the air. The way they descended and settled influenced their later collection and perception. In a meticulous process, Chapman and Kincheloe gathered these discarded pages, emphasizing the circling of the first sentence of each.
By adopting a "sunny side up" approach, they lifted pages from the original text, selecting the initial passage on each, resulting in a poetic and innovative comprehension of the historically rich existential text. This transformative journey led to the evolution of the project into a spoken word format.
Slow Art Day 2023 saw VC Projects, under Victoria Chapman's leadership, embark on a profound exploration inspired by Sam Francis. Deepening her admiration for his art and recently discovered poetry, Victoria collaborated with interdisciplinary artist Stevie Kincheloe in a ritual titled "Homage to Sam Francis: Depth is All." This ritual seamlessly blended Sam Francis's audio, featuring selected text, with John Cage's "In a Landscape." The sensory experience extended to observing pages from various books: MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY “THE VISIBLE AND THE INVISIBLE,” "The Letters Freud and Jung," ICHING ,complemented by frankincense and myrrh.
Post-ritual, pages from "The Visible and the Invisible" were thoughtfully collected from the gallery floor, setting the stage for the next phase. Each page's first sentence would be chosen to craft an audiobook. Merleau-Ponty's book, selected for its sensorial philosophy resonating with Sam Francis's poetry, formed a crucial part. Random selections from the I Ching and "The Letters Freud and Jung" were strategically incorporated.
These meticulous preparations fostered an engaging environment for Stevie, who turned clockwise while contemplating the elements and listening to Victoria's recitation of Sam's poetry. John Cage's "In a Landscape" added a fitting cadence to the composition.
In anticipation of Slow Art Day 2024, this year's performance aspires to deepen the interpretation of Merleau-Ponty's historically rich text. This addition seeks to reveal continued insights, inviting contemplation not only into self and being but also into tangible and intangible aspects, exploring the id and ego. The event will involve another meticulously designed sensory-explored ritual.
“CLOSE-WOVEN FABRIC OF THE TRUE WORLD, HOW THE UNCONSCIOUSNESS OF NOT HAVING OBSERVED CAN, IN THE FASCINATED MAN, TAKE THE PLACE OF THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF HAVING OBSERVED”
PHASE II (2024)
THE PAGES
TEXT THAT WAS CIRCLED THAT WAS “SUNNY SIDE UP”
(AFTER FALLING TO THE FLOOR DURING 2023 PERFORMANCE PIECE)
PHASE I (2023)
THE SURRENDERING OF pages
MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY “THE VISIBLE AND THE INVISIBLE”
DURING SLOW ART DAY 2023 WITH STEVIE KINCHELOE
Slow Art Day 2023 witnessed VC Projects, led by Victoria Chapman, delve into an immersive exploration inspired by the art and poetry of Sam Francis. Collaborating with interdisciplinary artist Stevie Kincheloe, Victoria orchestrated a ritual titled "Homage to Sam Francis: Depth is All." This ritual seamlessly merged Francis's audio excerpts with John Cage's "In a Landscape," accompanied by sensory experiences including the observation of pages from various texts such as Maurice Merleau-Ponty's "The Visible and the Invisible," "The Letters Freud and Jung," and the I Ching, enhanced by fragrances of frankincense and myrrh.
Following the ritual, selected pages from "The Visible and the Invisible" were gathered from the gallery floor to form the foundation for crafting an audiobook, with additional excerpts from the I Ching and "The Letters Freud and Jung" strategically integrated.
These meticulous preparations set the stage for an engaging environment where Stevie, guided by Victoria's recitation of Sam's poetry, contemplated elements while turning clockwise, accompanied by the rhythmic cadence of John Cage's music.
Looking ahead to Slow Art Day 2024, this year's performance aims to deepen the interpretation of Merleau-Ponty's text, exploring its resonance with Francis's poetry and inviting contemplation into the realms of self, being, and the subconscious. The event promises another meticulously designed sensory-immersive ritual, offering continued insights and exploration of both tangible and intangible aspects of existence.
OTHER SUPPORTING TEXT AND INSPIRATIONS: SAM FRANCIS SELECTED POETRY, MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY “THE VISIBLE AND THE INVISIBLE”, THE ICHING, “THE FREUD/JUNG LETTERS”, AND JOHN CAGE “IN A LANDSCAPE”
The above link will take you to the official exhibition page for “Slow art Day 2023”