It was one of the only AIOP 2008 works that successfully wrestled my attention away from the street.
It was loud, obnoxious and if it was less designy I would’ve thought she was an eccentric homeless person.
The train was impressive and stopped the outfit from appearing like drag.
She primped and posed for me as soon as she saw my camera. I can’t imagine how hot she was under the plastic.
Thank you, Hrag, for including me on your impressive site. I’m glad you found my work remarkable…was that pun intended about “drag”? Nice double entendre, too, regarding “hot under the plastic”. Isn’t it just like White Trash to go there? Thanks again! ER
Hi Edith, Glad you liked it. How did the performance go on the whole? Any interesting experiences during your journey down 14th Street?
Well, yes, since you’ve asked…..interesting? Maybe more revealing as to the cultural temperature of NYC in 2008. As I was in performance mode, coquettishly mingling and not slashing the crowds to get somewhere, I had time to note the obvious differences between east and west siders. East siders generally felt the Carnivale aspect of White Trash….they seemed to immediately relate to the piece and understood the political nature of it even if they couldn’t yet articulate it completely. I fell in love with the juicy ladies who came careening out of a beauty shop with curlers in their hair and plastic around their shoulders, pleading, “Wait! Wait! Can I take your picture?” West siders, on the other hand, tended to be as subdued and suspicious as a gray Furstenberg wrap dress, as if I were reminding them of something they wanted to forget yet was unrelenting and lurking inside them…almost recoiling from that which might overtake. A woman outside one of the boutiques in that area claimed White Trash was beautiful but very disturbing…so, in their way, they also understood it. Only one pissy encounter where a man roared in my ear, “Get a LIFE!”. Our favorite response was a young man throwing a paper soda cup onto the train. Yes!
My friend, Marea and I will be editing the film soon…if you are interested in the final piece, I will keep you posted. Keep up the good work!
I would love to see the video. I will also be posting your comment as a post…I think it is indeed very telling how people in various neighborhoods respond to work and perhaps why artists choose to live/work in each.
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