FULCRUM 3
Fulcrum 3: Dream Phrase
Performance
In-Person
Saturday, May 11, 2024
Doors 8pm, Show 8:30pm
$10 GA, $5 members
Dream Phrase includes the following artists:
Kevin Harris: system architect / sound / video
Glen “Papa” Wright: percussion
Maureen Keaveny: kinetic sculpture
Nadir Smith: electronic sound
NNN Cook: sound
Lexie Hurlbut: movement
Chad Eivins: video
Presented in partnership with Center for Aesthetic Research, Dream Phrase is a multimedia performance event using the Freudian concept of “overdetermination” to develop a system that determines the outcome of a piece of durational art.
Overdetermination occurs when a single-observed effect is determined by multiple causes, any one of which alone would be conceivably sufficient to account for the outcome. Utilizing eight St. Louis artists working in music, dance, kinetic sculpture, and video, we present a series of interactions, non-interactions, reactions, and counteractions that emerge as elements of artistic causation to form Dream Phrase.
This performance system is informed by Freud’s original use of the term “overdetermined” in his book, “The Interpretation of Dreams” where it was used as a tool in dream analysis. Dreams are said to be “overdetermined” in that they are caused by multiple factors in the life of the dreamer, from superficial memories of recent life to deeply repressed traumas and unconscious desires. It is this rare access to the unconscious - as a series of symbolic representations - that enables complex overdetermination to manifest.
There are already structural parallels between the type of communication taking place between the conscious and unconscious mind during our dreams and the communication taking place between content and form within media. With a system of multimedia, this communication extends beyond individual forms to interact and communicate with surrounding media until a complex system of overdetermination presents itself and an outcome is reached.
Fulcrum is a recurring series of durational art events that uses an intentional synthesis of performance media to coalesce a diverse selection of artistic practices into unique, unified environments. If we think of media as an extension of human capability, Fulcrum can be viewed as a way to organize and balance media into systems with syncretic and holistic structures.
By working with artists across a wide range of disciplines, Fulcrum is able to cultivate cooperative, symbiotic relationships between artists whose practices might not typically overlap. Individual pieces of sound art, dance, sculpture, video, or kinetics all contain their own specific experiential context. The goal of Fulcrum is to take these seemingly disparate elements and craft them into a singular temporal experience.
The public experience of Fulcrum is intended as a nurturing environment that can bring various St. Louis art communities together. Engaging with Fulcrum is like a warm bath that washes away the territoriality of the art world while clearing a path to foster a true communal experience that connects us to our fellow human.