State of Being

Photos by Whitney Browne

I’ll start by sharing the impetus for this performance installation. I wanted to bring forth the notion of enhancement as a subconscious desire we have as humans. In my examination of why we can’t seem to unravel the knot we’ve woven into with technology, I discovered that our craving to be enhanced is what drives this entanglement.

As a response to this discovery, I created a performance installation to exhibit the very notion of seeking transformation through alchemical means. The installation itself was an exploration into a fantasy where items ingested or topically absorbed will deliver a promise to heal impalpable ailments. I prepared these items on a light table in petri dishes, feeding the illusion of its scientific and futuristic significance. As visitors took time to fill out their diagnostic cards and received their remedies with a perplexed openness, they embodied the performative role of humans seeking drive-through transformation. Every wish to be a better human, every prescribed antidote to fulfill their request, structured within a system that assures all transformation remain principled and in good faith for the collective.

Oh, you want to be better? I’ll make us better for each other.

Oh, you want to a quick fix? I’ll make the recipe to cure.

Oh, you want to believe you've transformed? I’ll make you think you are.