B!RDBRA!N
September 5–7, 8pm
Feel the Churn!
September 26–28, various times
Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Project Space
455 West 19th Street
New York, NY 10001
T 212 228 5283
www.rauschenbergfoundation.org
www.machineproject.com
First two events, B!RDBRA!N and Feel the Churn!, debut this September at Rauschenberg Project Space, explore participation in performance
Los Angeles-based arts organization Machine Project will present a series of events throughout 2013 and 2014 as part of a yearlong residency at the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Project Space to explore artistic collaboration and engage the community in participatory performances. The first two events of the residency—B!RDBRA!N and Feel the Churn!—will take place this September 5 to 7 and 26 to 28.
In B!RDBRA!N, seven performers, ranging in age from 8 to 68 years, perform in a series of vignettes that expose the problematic nature of communication and the ways in which words serve as objects onto which meanings are projected. By exposing the shortcomings of communication, Emily Mast’s provocative piece sets the stage for a yearlong field test of projects meant to propose and explore new modes of cultural experience and exchange in the heart of New York’s commercial art market. B!RDBRA!N will run September 5 to 7, at 8pm each date. Register here.
Feel the Churn! will bring together artisan practices, food and science with music, performance and a serious workout for a three-day series of aerobic classes. The classes, which are free and open to the public, will invite participants to engage in artist-led aerobic activities, by Jimmy Fusil, while churning locally sourced milk into fresh butter, eaten on freshly baked bread, all set to a soundtrack by DJ Mike Wait. Feel the Churn! will run from September 26 to 28 at various times. Register here.
B!RDBRA!N and Feel the Churn! are the inaugural events of Machine Project’s yearlong residency at the Rauschenberg Project Space, The Machine Project Field Guide to the Former Robert Rauschenberg Painting Storage Facility on 19th Street in Chelsea. In addition to support from the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, Machine Project is also supported by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and The James Irvine Foundation.
“Machine Project is at the forefront of a new wave of participatory, democratic art, and we are pleased to work with them as they raise awareness of art as a community engagement and educational tool,” said Christy MacLear, Executive Director of The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation.
The goal of the series is to build dialogue and relationships between artists and audiences in Los Angeles and New York City. The works presented will honor the legacy of Robert Rauschenberg, who sought to create social and cultural awareness through artistic collaboration and innovation. The results of the yearlong collaboration will be unveiled in a month-long show set to run in September 2014.
“The liberatory voraciousness of Rauschenberg’s work and creativity is an inspiration and deep influence for Machine Project and our everything-plus-the-kitchen-sink approach to culture,” said Mark Allen, Executive Director and Founder of Machine Project. “We’re excited to present our latest research and experiments and hope the residents of New York City will come out and join us.”
An emerging force in the grassroots, experimental arts scene on the West Coast, Allen also sits on the Andy Warhol Foundation. He founded Machine Project to create an informal community space in which people can gather around different kinds of ideas and disciplines. Based in Los Angeles, Machine Project has staged “takeovers” of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; produced events for the Hammer Museum, The Walker Art Center and the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis; and hosts collaborative art in their own project space in LA’s Echo Park community, itself a hotbed of rising young contemporary artists of all stripes. They have been described by LA Weekly as “Nikola Tesla by way of P.T. Barnum, with a dash of The Anarchist Cookbook.”
About the Rauschenberg Project Space
The Rauschenberg Project Space is owned and operated by the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation to share unique aspects of Robert Rauschenberg’s legacy, showcase the work of RRF grantees, and create a connection to the Captiva-based Rauschenberg Residency. The foundation was established by Robert Rauschenberg to show how art can change the world. In this spirit, the foundation supports wide-ranging philanthropic initiatives and artistic endeavors that are made in the fearless and innovative spirit with which Rauschenberg approached his own life and work.
About MP
Machine Project is a nonprofit performance and installation space investigating art, technology, natural history, science, music, literature and food. It presents events, workshops and site-specific installations using hands-on engagement to make rarefied knowledge accessible. Beyond its storefront space, Machine Project operates as a loose collective of artists producing shows at locations ranging from the Santa Monica beach to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Media contact
Nick Sifuentes, BerlinRosen Public Affairs
T 310 866 1692 / nick [at] berlinrosen.com
