In an effort to summarize (and organize) the events I have coming up, I’m posting (and updating) my notes on each project here on my blog. This should make it easy for me to update and locate the details as they develop…
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ZK/U MONDAY DINNER PRESENTATION
13 AUGUST 2018, MONDAY
BERLIN, GERMANY
Short overview of my recent work/current projects
A/V projection in Residents’ Kitchen
Last year was my first year at ZK/U. I came for one month but ended up staying for 3 months. I found myself able to engage with my art practice in really productive and inspiring ways here in Berlin, so when the possibility to stay longer presented itself, I decided to take it. By staying on at ZK/U, I had the opportunity to make some wonderful connections with residents and other art workers in the city, as well as to participate in a couple of Open Haus events here at ZK/U, including one that occurred during Berlin Art Week – which is when I officially launched the Invisibility Lab.
Here are pictures from the Invisibility Lab Launch during Berlin Art Week 2017
The Invisibility Lab is an international
creative research initiative launched in Berlin
in 2017. It functions as a mobile studio, stage,
gallery and research laboratory to investigate
cross-cultural similarities and differences
related to the phenomenon of invisibility.
Focused primarily on stories of feeling – or
wishing to be – invisible, the Invisibility Lab
conducts experimental interventions and
participatory public events independently,
online, and in partnership with organizations
around the world.
I also created a performance lecture that I presented at a conference in Lisbon last year, called 1,000 Invisible Things. It was an audio piece I recorded here at ZK/U based on the collection of 1,000 Invisible Things I’ve developed over the past couple of years. Here’s a short excerpt from the 20 minute piece.
You can find more information about these experiments and projects on the Invisibility Lab website
My main website – for a little background on the visual and performing arts aspects of my practice that started in the mid-eighties – Gabrielle Senza website
My more socially-engaged art practice started around 2001 and there are some images and descriptions here – Red Collaborative website
Currently focusing on developing one of these initiatives, Walk Unafraid into a mission-based business with a business partner in the US – and potentially representatives in other countries.
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ZK/U AUGUST OPEN HOUSE
23 AUGUST 2018 – THURSDAY 7-10PM
BERLIN, GERMANY
Participatory installation of Invisibility Lab Archive project on the Landing
Invisibility Lab forms, pens, instructions & receptacle for completed forms on work table + 3 chairs on ZK/U Landing.
For the Open Haus, I’ll have a smaller, simpler installation than what is shown here.
All data is collected anonymously and is intended to be woven into creative visual and performing works that aim to make visible the unseen aspects of life and the experiences we share.
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WALKIN’ WITH WORDXWORD AT THE MOUNT
26 AUGUST – SUNDAY (TOURS: 3:00PM + 3:30PM)
LENOX, MA, USA
Short performance work incorporating/responding to sculpture in exhibition (2-5 minutes)
Responding to the work, Institutional Tan by James Meyer, an installation consisting of three prison cells located in the woodsy section of Edith Wharton’s country estate in Lenox Massachusetts, multimedia artist, Gabrielle Senza will present a short performance work that brings into focus issues of freedom, trust, and betrayal.
Although I chose this work to respond to based on the image posted online as part of the Open Call, upon researching the artist, his history, and the idea behind the work, my interest in working with this piece grew stronger since it turns out, it was made by the artist who worked as Jasper Johns’s studio assistant for 27 years and secretly sold several million dollars worth of Johns’s unfinished works.
In 2014 James Meyer was sentenced to 18 months in prison for stealing 22 works by Jasper Johns. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, “Mr. Meyer sold 22 works for a total of roughly $6.5 million, and personally earned nearly $4 million”. He is now free and has returned to living with his family in rural Connecticut.
James Meyer wrote in his essay for the piece: “Institutional tan 3 therapy cells that are functioning and the viewer can use them – these cells were made for inmates that are in solitary confinement for life-they have no regular human interaction and their psychiatrists thought they would benefit form group therapy, these cages were made for them to have group therapy.”
My favorite segment in an article on Jasper Johns published in the Financial Times is Johns’s response to the inquiry about the betrayal by his longtime assistant as the basis for his body of works in the Regrets series:
He is cagey about the new artworks’ connection to Meyer: “For me [the meaning] is within the picture. The word is in the picture. I think you’ll have to interpret that for yourself. It’s certainly in the painting, but so is the rest of the painting in the painting, and the image that’s in the painting. It’s not meant to be a sign of something not in the painting. Regrets belong to everybody, don’t they?”
I haven’t yet decided what type of performance art piece I will create for this event… but it’s likely to include some kind of spoken word / participatory installation elements… We’ll see…
Walkin’ with WordXWord Tours start from the Stables at 3:00 and 3:30.
Sunday, 26 August 2018. Tours are free, but reservations are encouraged
The SculptureNow exhibition will be at The Mount through Oct 31.
More on WordXWord here.
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FOR FREEDOMS ~ 50 STATES INITIATIVE / WALK UNAFRAID COLLABORATION
1 OCTOBER – 15 NOVEMBER 2018
FUEL COFFEE SHOP, GREAT BARRINGTON, MA
Art Exhibition + Community Civic Action
Walk Unafraid at Fuel Bistro Great Barrington
presents
IMMIGRANT MADE: ART + ACTION
Date of Activation / Opening Reception:
Monday (Indigenous People’s Day) 8 October, 4-7pm
Location: Fuel Bistro Great Barrington
293 Main Street, Great Barrington, MA 01230
Exhibition Dates: 1 October – 15 November, 2018
WALK UNAFRAID will present IMMIGRANT MADE: ART + ACTION, a public art exhibition featuring artwork by Guatemalan-born artist, Clemente Sajquiy alongside an installation of immigrant-made lawn signs that address questions of freedom, trust, community and social justice.
As part of the For Freedoms 50 State Initiative (the largest art collaboration in US history) Walk Unafraid’s IMMIGRANT MADE: ART + ACTION exhibition aims to amplify the voices of immigrants and people of color in the Berkshires, to acknowledge and commit to changing the systems of oppression and marginalization that continue to exist both socially and politically today, and to celebrate the many ways they contribute to enriching our communities.
We chose a non-art-centric public gathering space where everyone is welcome, so that all people can view the art exhibition and the community-made For Freedoms Yard Signs. Fuel Bistro in Great Barrington, MA serves as a vibrant social hub for patrons of all nationalities, genders, abilities, and identities.
Walk Unafraid is a mission-based artist-run initiative committed to empowering individuals and communities to create social change through shared stories, active listening, and peaceful action.
IMMIGRANT MADE: ART + ACTION is free and open to the public from October 1 through November 15, 2018.
KEY TOPICS & THEMES: freedom, trust, immigration, community
SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES: @WeWalkUnafraid, #WeWalkUnafraid
WEBSITE: WalkUnafraid.org
CONTACT: Gabrielle Senza
hello@walkunafraid.org
413.717.0031
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FUNDING ARTS PANEL ~ LACKAWANNA ARTS COUNCIL
15 SEPTEMBER – SATURDAY
SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA
Panelist on Funding for Artists
I’ll be one of three panelists to discuss arts funding. I will discuss a few of the alternative methods I’ve used to support my art practice over my thirty year career as an artist, including one of the most rewarding ones I’m currently using, which is developing relationships with art patrons who support my overall art practice rather than simply purchasing or commissioning artwork.
This image is here mainly so that I have a graphic place holder for this event, but also to show another artist’s breakdown of income from multiple sources.
Gwenn Seemel’s Income Pie Chart
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SCRANTON FRINGE FESTIVAL / WALK UNAFRAID FOR FREEDOMS INSTALLATION
22 – 30 SEPTEMBER – SATURDAY
SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA
Walk Unafraid participatory installation in downtown storefront
Walk Unafraid at Scranton Fringe Festival
presents
WALK UNAFRAID FOR FREEDOMS
Date of Activation / Opening Reception:
??
Location: ??
Exhibition Dates: ??
WALK UNAFRAID will present WALK UNAFRAID FOR FREEDOMS, a public art exhibition featuring an installation of Walk Unafraid barricade tape by artists Gabrielle Senza and Tonyehn Verkitus that incorporates empowering statements on equality, identity, inclusion, and freedom contributed by members of the community and Fringe Festival visitors.
As part of the For Freedoms 50 State Initiative (the largest art collaboration in US history) WALK UNAFRAID FOR FREEDOMS exhibition aims to amplify the voices of [immigrants and people of color in Lackawanna County], to acknowledge and commit to changing the systems of oppression and marginalization that continue to exist both socially and politically today, and to celebrate the many ways they contribute to enriching our communities.
Walk Unafraid is a mission-based artist-run initiative committed to empowering individuals and communities to create social change through shared stories, active listening, and peaceful action.
WALK UNAFRAID FOR FREEDOMS is free and open to the public from ?? to ??, 2018.
KEY TOPICS & THEMES: freedom, trust, identity, empowerment, community
SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES: @WeWalkUnafraid, #WeWalkUnafraid
WEBSITE: WalkUnafraid.org
CONTACT: Gabrielle Senza
hello@walkunafraid.org
413.717.0031
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FOR FREEDOMS ~ 50 STATES INITIATIVE / MANOS UNIDAS COLLABORATION
22 SEPTEMBER – SATURDAY – 12-9 PM
THE COMMONS PARK, PITTSFIELD, MA
Participatory Invisibility Lab events including a Walk Unafraid Town Hall Speak Out, Yard Sign-Making event, and Archive of Invisibility Lab project
Elated advocates for the Great Barrington Trust Policy after it was successfully adopted at the Town Hall Meeting in 2017.
Harvest of Hope/Cosecha de Esperanza Multi Cultural Family Festival:
Collectivizing a Shared Community Story of Hope by Utilizing Creativity and Connection to Catalyze a Diverse Ecosystem of Community
INVISIBILITY LAB at Manos Unidas Harvest of Hope Festival
presents FOR FREEDOMS TOWN HALL: SOCIAL [in]VISIBILITY
Date & Time of Activation:
Saturday, 22 September 2018
3-5pm (to be confirmed)
Location: Manos Unidas Harvest of Hope Festival
The Common, 1st Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201
The international creative research initiative known as the Invisibility Lab, will host SOCIAL [in]VISIBILITY: An Open Mic Town Hall Experiment at the Manos Unidas Harvest of Hope Festival in Pittsfield, Massachusetts on Saturday, September 22, from 3-5pm.
Led by artist Gabrielle Senza, festival attendees are invited to gather together in a social setting to share their stories of social and political invisibility through spoken word and collaborative poetry. Starting with the phrase “I feel invisible when…” or “I wish I could be invisible when…” each participant will describe how the experience has impacted their personal sense of self and/or influenced their ability to enjoy freedom in the US today. Using a Round Robin open mic format, we will build a collaborative poem that makes visible the invisible, generates empathy for others, and fosters a sense of unity within the community.
The Invisibility Lab’s SOCIAL [in]VISIBILITY: An Open Mic Town Hall Experiment is part of the For Freedoms 50 State Initiative (the largest single art collaboration in US history) and is intended to spur civic engagement as we witness the undoings of human rights and social justice.
The Harvest of Hope Festival is a multifaceted, multicultural event that exhibits in its very process bridge-building across differences, diversities and commonalities. This is accomplished through an array of creative outpourings: visual, movement, theater arts, spoken and musical performance, and workshops.
The Invisibility Lab is an international creative research initiative launched in Berlin by transdisciplinary artist, Gabrielle Senza, in 2017. It functions as a mobile studio, stage, gallery and research laboratory to investigate cross-cultural similarities and differences related to the phenomenon of invisibility. Focused primarily on stories of feeling – or wishing to be – invisible, the Invisibility Lab conducts experimental interventions and participatory public events independently, online, and in partnership with organizations around the world.
KEY TOPICS & THEMES: visibility, invisibility, freedom, trust, immigration, community, women’s rights, social justice
SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES: @InvisibilityLab #InvisibilityLab
WEBSITE: InvisibilityLab.com
CONTACT: Gabrielle Senza
hello@invisibilitylab.com
413.717.0031
Walk Unafraid at Manos Unidas Harvest of Hope Festival
presents FOR FREEDOMS LAWN SIGN ACTION
Date & Time of Activation:
Saturday, 22 September 2018
1-5pm
Location: Manos Unidas Harvest of Hope Festival
The Common, 1st Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201
Walk Unafraid will host a For Freedoms Lawn Sign Action at the multicultural Manos Unidas Harvest of Hope Festival in Pittsfield Massachusetts on Saturday, September 22nd from 1-5pm.
Lead by artists Gabrielle Senza and Clemente Sajquiy, people of all ages are invited to participate in creating their own vision of freedom by filling in signs that say
• Freedom Of ____
• Freedom From _____
• Freedom For ______
• Freedom To______
These signs will be displayed at the festival (and later included in the IMMIGRANT MADE: ART & ACTION exhibition at Fuel Bistro Great Barrington October 1 – November 15 ~ as described in a separate listing).
The Harvest of Hope Festival is a multifaceted, multicultural event that exhibits in its very process bridge-building across differences, diversities and commonalities. This is accomplished through an array of creative outpourings: visual, movement, theater arts, spoken and musical performance, and workshops.
Walk Unafraid is a mission-based artist-run initiative committed to empowering individuals and communities to create social change through shared stories, active listening, and peaceful action.
KEY TOPICS & THEMES: freedom, trust, immigration, community
SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES: @WeWalkUnafraid, #WeWalkUnafraid
WEBSITE: WalkUnafraid.org
CONTACT: Gabrielle Senza
hello@walkunafraid.org
413.717.0031
We may also include the following in one of these events:
Sin Paredes Video Installation
Sin Paredes: Storia #1
Sin Paredes is a collaborative project created with the aim to give voice to the people who culturally and economically enrich our communities through their hard work, community engagement, and cultural contributions, yet who are not free to enjoy the same liberties as others because of their nationality, immigration status, gender, class, sexual orientation, or even just the color of their skin.
Recognizing our shared humanity in the stories told in this series inspires us to take action towards building a better, more inclusive community where everyone is valued for their diverse perspectives and cultural contributions.
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FEVERISH WORLD SYMPOSIUM
20-22 OCTOBER 2018 – SATURDAY – SUNDAY
BURLINGTON, VERMONT, USA
Walk Unafraid Participatory Audio Installation
NAVIGATING AND REROUTING – OPEN CALL FOR AUDIO SUBMISSIONS
Using the history of the participatory ‘Walk Unafraid’ platform, and the artists’
combined experience in social movements and art, artists Gabrielle Senza and jen
berger come together to create an embodied experience of what prevents us from, and
pushes us towards walking unafraid . This installation is an immersive experience
within an 8’x8’x8’ tent. An audio recording, exploring relevant questions* will play on a
loop. Additionally, the tent will be constructed of a combination of barricade tape (see
attachments) and canvas that is primed and will provide a surface for participants to
answer some of these same questions in real time.
As socially engaged artists, part of our role is to create platforms for participation and
change; whereas politicians and policy makers rely on statistics to create change. Artists
use real life stories for meaningful impact. In an era where media is as much a part of
our days as eating and breathing, using an intimate platform, such as audio and
handwritten texts, can give participants an opportunity to contemplate some questions
that are on our minds.
Location depending, the audio will play from an mp3 audio player, and use a generator
or electricity that is run from the building near the tent. The audio will be amplified and
immersive. The audio will be collected by soliciting submissions from people responding
to the inherent questions* of this installation.
Thinking about how we continue to move forward to create social change,
we invite you to share your thoughts to the following questions:
1. What roles should artists, activists, academicians, NGOs, corporations and
governments play at this critical moment to lessen the divides that fracture our
world today?
2. What does it take to ‘show up’ and be unafraid?
*after reading this excerpt from an interview with Naomi Klein
(https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=612162874)
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INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS ART FESTIVAL – NYC
18 NOVEMBER 2018 – SUNDAY 1PM
NEW YORK, NY, USA
Multidisciplinary visual theater performance on invisibility with Karen Cellini
Photo credit: Gabrielle Senza
QUILL HOUSE – an immersive sonic visual theater performance that explores invisible truths, the unseen realms of experience, and the founding of self in a world fraught with injustice.
QUILL HOUSE is an immersive sonic visual theater experience that explores invisible truths, the unseen realms of experience, and the founding of self. Through movement, sound, and ethereal elements, multidisciplinary artists Karen Cellini and Gabrielle Senza present a layered collage of visual and sonic experiences that delve into the subconscious realities and conscious fictions of the psycho-emotional realms of existence in a world fraught with injustice.
Co-written and produced by Karen Cellini and Gabrielle Senza.
Karen Cellini is a live performance collage artist experimenting with text, sound, and media in the vibrational, psychological and emotional landscape through singing, writing, music, and activism. Her play, The Good Mother: making the invisible, visible was written with an incarcerated heroin addict giving voice to victims of violence and addiction. She starred in Dynasty and later co-produced Doctor Zhivago on Broadway, the iconic Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding, among other plays and film projects. She holds an MFA from Sarah Lawrence and was Writing for Performance Candidate mentored by Carl Hancock Rux at CalArts.
View of Wild Project theater space, New York.
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FUTURE PLANS FOR BERLIN
There are several projects I’d like to work on at ZK/U in the future. Next year I’d like to offer a series of writing workshops for migrants in Berlin, that offer an opportunity to go more deeply into sharing their stories of feeling and/or wishing to be invisible in a safe, supportive environment where participants can feel both seen and heard. In addition, I have two video/performance projects that I’d like to work on: one that involves the arched cellar space, the other focuses on the silent ballet of Behala at night.
1000 Invisible Things 