Above some video documentation of ASMR demo for podcast (NO AUDIO on this video) listen to the podcast for the juicy sounds.
I met someone who was talking about their podcast on social media. I contacted him about doing a piece on ASMR and we did it. It was pretty casual and a lot of fun.
Matt and Joshua are joined by ASMaRtist Katarina Countiss to delve into the interesting world of ASMR. Kat demonstrates some of her ASMR techniques and the trio talk about weird sounds, audio recording, live performing (another passion of Kat’s), and Mark Zuckerberg. Things actually go kinda well.Check out Katarina Countiss on YouTubeOr maybe check out her website!
Below in the post is a video of the projection art and audio track that you can enjoy for a headphoned experience wherever you are. Under the heading “An Online Experience.”
The pieces of the performance can be broken up into: the set up of the headphones, the christmas light code, the one on one ASMR session, and the pink ballooons dance.
The Set Up of the Headphones 0-16:08
goal: get everyone to this link and ready to hear the track: SAFEhouse Show Audio Link. I had extra headphones and splitters.
The Christmas Light Code 16:08-26:12
In this piece, I have two battery powered LED christmas light wires, one blue, one green. I put one in a chair and carried one with me. The colors did not matter. I started to set down a line of moonstones. Communicate in non verbal ways different messages about the moonstones being a code for aliens or aerial witnesses or something.
the one on one ASMR session 26:12-33:33
I’m explicit in the gesturing to the chair and audience that I’d like a volunteer. One comes and sits and I show them a variety of props and ask them about their experience with ASMR and curate a use for one or more objects in an improvised ASMR session. This person enjoyed Head Massage to trigger ASMR. I used a comb to stimulate his head, including his upper lip.
The second night, I had a volunteer who did not know about ASMR and I gave a wider but more shallow tour of the box, we applied white glue to the backs of our hands, enjoyed a gentle mist or five from a spray bottle, and listened to some comb sounds.
the pink ballooons dance 33:33-39:23
In this play I ask for 2 audience volunteers. I offer them masks and instruct them simple choreography, ex. touch the balloons together and let’s circle.
The second night I clear the chairs for better space and we wear the costumes (ribbon with plastic pink fringe sewn on) that I designed and helped make.
Dmitriy gave me his program for safekeeping. I gave him special thanks in the program. Among the other amazing things he’s done to support me and my art, he was the head seamstress in our costuming department consisting of me and him.
Above is the show documentation by Mark McBeth. He captured a unique perspective on the show. I’ve never had a videographer and I thought it would be rude to give him directions on how I envision the show being captured. In the future, I would be more assertive and have a dialog to create something that is more reflective of the experience. It was odd to me that he not sit in the audience section.
This was the first night of the show, my first solo show! It was a challenge for many reasons. I was working on props and projection art that very day. Also, I didn’t do a proper tech check and there was a projector to computer connection issue, so I had to scrap the projection art. I adjusted my expectations and it was a different show than I intended but those who attended appreciated what I did.
Creating a headphoned theatre experience is something I’ve been thinking about ever since I got involved with ASMRtistry. The audience needed to be equipped with headphones, a smartphone to access my track and to play it all at the same time. Embedding a soundcloud track was not the best move. It prompted the user to download the app, so essentially my piece involved account creation, which we all know to be an intimidating process. Another login-password to store in our brains, you know?
After setting up the audience with headphones and having the track ready, and telling a few jokes to keep the air jovial, I began the piece. There are three distinct sections. Earlier that day, I worked with the tech peeps Nicole and Colin on my lighting design. It was so much fun being the director and having to make these choices. Initially the lighting cues were on me– second look when the chairs move to stage left– but I realized the stagework I’d be doing was going to be so fluid, I wouldn’t know when to end. Instead of me cueing the lights, the lights cued me. At 10 min and 18 min marks it goes from one lighting situation to another.
Reflections of a Second Night
I had two shows two nights in a row, the second night had projection art. Before the show, I went around to each group getting settled, telling them about the show’s technical requirements of the app and headphones. I was equipped with extra headphones and splitters. I felt I was friendly and it was a small enough crowd that visiting each audience member felt intimate and sweet.
I had different masks for the third movement, different audience volunteers for the second and third movements. Different choreography for the first and third pieces. Different responses to the audience member in the second movement. All and all, the style I approached the performance making led to a show with a lot of variability.
I definitely wish I took photographs the second night. The costumes were transformative.
An Online Experience
Below is the video to the audio and the projection art. View it with a friend and appreciate the social aspect of the volume check, everything else is pretty much a solo experience, though have some cookies and water handy!
Process
I wanted to show how my process in creating material for my ASMR channel on youtube through personas. I wanted to capture aspects of the shaman, scientist, professor, artist, and animal. I used certain characteristics to create a variety of aesthetic choices and influences.
The week before the show, I was still developing the way the performance would go. I went to a beach, a cafe, and market street. I did free writes on the monday before the show to create the text and recorded it in my apartment. It felt like a flower that blossomed in a short period of time.
I’m looking forward to creating a new ASMR-based show for the group presentation in January! ❄
I didn’t know what to expect from my first day at the Field, other than to perform a piece I conceived of a couple days prior. Like the first meeting of minds, a handout was handed out of how the Field was to be a place for performance and witnessing. The feedback is to be structured in such a way that the creator retains autonomy over their piece. The feedback givers are to avoid shallow comments like “I liked…” or “I thought was interesting…”
There were five of us performing about 5-7 minutes of material each, ranging from movement, spoken word, dance. We all had elements of improv within our pieces. The performing was back to back with some minutes of interval to write down our notes for the feedback session which was done in a circle. The feedback sessions were timed. 10 minutes per person and it was encouraged to just say your emotional response, what you perceived the intent to be, what you saw and not give suggestions, which I thought was good practice. I tend to want to get in on a piece and become involved in the creative process. I thought it was a good time just to articulate details of my response and where my mind went during the performance.
#artdestructionart
I recently posted a link to my art inventory for visual pieces inviting my facebook friends to perhaps consult me about a purchase. No one has taken me up on it. It lead to this sense of “what a waste” no one wants these things, so I conceived of a social media linked project where I destroy the art. The first episode involved this piece.
rip (lol)
The stage: I had the raffle table and a stool holding my book bag with 3 framed pieces. I put my water bottle and cell phone on the table and started recording a video (below).
The action: I monologue about how digital and physical artworks are appreciated (or not) in my recent experience and I describe a piece that I created while I take it out of its frame and tear the watercolor paper into pieces.
Note about the video: After listening to this recording, lots of “ums”. Quiet recording but then at 1:26, loud dang noise– I was startled– yeah. And another loud sound (1:55) of plastic on heavy metal table and the cellphone being right there on that same table.
Feedback: They saw it was a sad piece about wanting connection. They felt the steady pace of words and the organic rhythm of ripping paper. They understood the tenderness of destroying art. They saw the bag on stage on the stool and wondered what could be inside it. The anythingness of what could be was felt to be intriguing. They appreciated the cellphone on the table because of its representing social media. I don’t think they noticed that I was documenting the piece with it.
Next time: I want to try doing it as a live facebook video. I haven’t done that and it seems really appealing. The group said that it would be advised to practice and to set up a personal hotspot. The internet at SAFEhouse is good, but not that good.
Continuing the Conversation
feedback from friends through social media
~I felt you were claiming your right to your process, to let go, to move forward–i especially felt that at the end when you mentioned deleting images off a camera or computer.
~Whoa, that was pretty intense! It made me think about a lot of different things First, that in this day and age of social media, one’s self worth seems tied to the number of likes or comments or whatever, which is a toxic concept for a lot of artists.
Next, the process of marketing one’s art is weird and uncomfortable, can be discouraging, and the whole art market is pretty fucked up in general. However, there is a reason that there is so much theatricality in performing the presentation of an exhibition of art.
A gallery separates the making of art from the marketing of art so the artist doesn’t have to Have you ever heard of an artist named Nobu Fukui? He’s a “successful” and “established” artist in his 70’s, who has recently taken to destroying his unsold paintings in a performative capacity
Welcome to the Virtual Garage Sale 2016. I’ve never done this before but I thought it was about time to spread these works to the wanting masses. Let me know if you want a piece and we can talk about price, shipping, etc. Let me know if you’re curious about a piece and we can talk about inspiration, materials, dimensions, etc. ✧
I thought I’d share my public speaking accomplishments at my sister’s wedding. Below are links to a poem mash-up I chose to read and my toast to the bride and groom. Video credit to Terryl Rock. Thanks!
I’m getting back into poetry. I am gearing up mentally for an upcoming show for my residency at SAFEhouse for the Arts. I’m nervous because it’s my first solo stage work. I have the skeleton of the show down, but I have a narrative that I’m planning on writing and it might be good or trite/heavy-handed. I’ve been drawing inspiration from a multitude of places, podcasts, art gallery visits, friends new and old, and where I’m living.
This has been a big month of travel and change. I have a place lined up for September first in SF! My first SF place. I’m excited to be based in the city. It’s a privilege and a sacred space of learning and growing.
I’ve been painting a lot. I discovered that I could use paper, so a good portion of this gallery is stuff on paper, cheap and portable substrate. I am enjoying the exploration of this technique. A lot of good feedback, definitely reminding the viewer of Van Gogh. Post-impressionism has very few well known heroes. I love Van Gogh. I think it was the first print I ever bought with my own money (Starry Night). And I love that he painted it 100 years before I was born. (Me: May 1989, Starry Night: June 1889). I’m very drawn to swirly skies, God’s expressive abstract.
I’ve been naming the paintings using an Abstract Title Generator, but I don’t pick the first one. My work lately has been happy and serene and there’s some dark stuff on there. (The Abstract Art Titlegenerator)
I want to get around to naming the different patterns in the paintings and create a card system to generate new designs. Rainbow coloring is so attractive to me, but what other color palettes should I be exploring? The feathery texture of going against the grain, the threadly pattern of following the stitches… Flowers, stars and oil slicks seem to lend themselves well to the sprinkly underpattern, but what else can be seen? Someone said that there’s a face in “Manoa at Night”. Maybe you can find it?
Dmitriy gave me his program for safekeeping. I gave him special thanks in the program. Among the other amazing things he’s done to support me and my art, he was the head seamstress in our costuming department consisting of me and him.
Kismet Arts Tangent 