Thursday Night #10: 11/7/13 Casey Curran

   Casey Curran's lecture was my favorite so far. All of the pieces he showed were created to assist a performance, so the performative element was well-thought out and an integral part of the pieces he was creating. For the orchid head, the flowers would move somehow. Another headpiece was a kind of spider gag that was supposed to not look "too S&M." Curran avoided this by using wood instead of the metal and leather commonly associated with gags. That was a smart way of getting around traditional responses to traditional materials. One piece, a kind of wooden claw cage on someone's head, was replicated in a bigger claw over a main stage. The small claw over the person's head set a precedent, informing the audience of the purpose of the larger claw. In that case, the objects were more visually predictable.

   For his other work, it was unpredictable and exciting. There's advantages to both predictability and unpredictability, but it seems best for performative objects not to be predictable in their function and relationship to the body. Curran's pieces were all so intricate, confusing, detailed, and somehow simple. It seems like he wanted to make things that can't be figured out until they're performed.  The performances were influenced largely by rituals. Various materials like gold leaf, blood, tar, wax, and honey were used throughout the four venues. From this talk, I got the idea to coat my deer antlers in wax. While I still want to use blood, wax will ensure that the color stays on the antlers, as blood would drip off, losing the effect as time goes on.