Critical Analysis

On Friday, within the stark institution of Alfred State, Ari Hendershot scrubbed the platform of a bus stop with a toothbrush. Clothed only in a sweater and jeans (no shoes) I immediately felt empathy for her as I was currently damning the chilly weather under my own layers. She was on dirty, cold rock--probably pebbles and glass digging into her skin--working vigorously to cleanse a public area, armed only with a small tooth-cleaning device and a muddy, unsatisfying cup of water.

In our critiques, we'd talked briefly about the notion of imagining the past and future of these performances (beyond our group's encounter with them). I wonder how busy the traffic actually is at that bus stop, and how A-Staters responded to her presence. And what went through her mind as she first knelt down to polish off her first square inch of concrete (probably the miserable anticipation of three hours in freezing, self-conscious discomfort)? Mostly, I wanted to know if in the end she had actually succeeded in cleaning her area--maybe she made it dirtier by spreading around the filth? After all, it was a tiny cup of reused, un-refilled water.

This latter thought, I believe, is the crux of Ari's performance. She is uncomfortable, exposed, and reenacting a task usually reserved for those of a lower caste (excuse the lack of political correctness)--yet, the result of her efforts are ultimately disappointing and, well, dirtier. It is a debby-downer of a message, but this performance is about how hard work sometimes gains us nothing (and in some cases, sets us further back). Ari reminds us that, like the dirt on the floor of a bus stop, inanity is indelible.

Endurance Performance: Eat!

Contrary to popular belief, clementines are not harmless. I ate twenty in three hours-- the acidity did not agree with my stomach and I felt sick for the remainder of the day (afterward I ate some bread and passed out for about four hours whilst engaged in some freaky dreams). Near the half-way point of my three-hour stint, it became much more difficult to eat--the texture of the beloved fruit became unbearable to chew, the crisp sweetness saccharine.






I had originally been dressed in all black, but it was cold out so I layered up on hoodies and blankets. In the end, my attire did not matter much; just as long as it was clear what I was doing.

Here is the end product of my eating crusade:



It is a comment on over-consumption and wastefulness; though my body clearly did not need any more clementine juice/acid, all I could do was EAT.

Endurance Performance Proposal

I, Li Fong, will be on the lawn between Cannon and Barresi Halls for three hours on Thursday April 22 and will be eating an entire box of clementines. I will position the discarded peels in a pattern (you will have to stick around to see what I create in the end). Although clementines are indeed a pleasing fruit, there are twenty (give or take) in a box-- that's more than six per hour. Therefore, this task is surprisingly difficult and unpleasant; what if I have to pee (all that water is bound to make me have to go-- I will have to designate bathroom breaks), and what if I get sick (will I need a vomit bag)? By repeating over and over the common act of eating a healthy fruit, I am exemplifying concepts of consumption and excess.

Breathless- 2 Minute Song

Sonic Postcard

Kinetic Sculpture: Look Ma, No Hands!

This is a bubble-making device made for kids, by adults. The wand comes up, you blow bubbles, the wand goes down.






















































You don't get your hands dirty, and once you've finished you're left with some delightfully colorful paper:


















































Here is a video of how it works:

Cardboard Automaton: A Clicking Mechanism

Albeit, the design of my automaton is simple however its focus was aimed toward noise-making rather than full-fledged narrative. The clean, negative space-heavy aesthetic isolates and accentuates the clicking sound (as well as the gears), which is generated by bobby pins:

Note the arrangement of the pins (sort of a musical box effect). Though it's not a video (I didn't have one at ready disposal), I recorded an audio clip of my mechanism in motion:



Here is the side, where cranking takes place.

A Personal Record of Time

To show the progression of my day, I took screenshots of the window activity that took place whenever I used my mac. The sites and actions illustrate an intimate narrative of a routine that is not usually documented and displayed.