Statement
I make art to explore ideas that I myself do not have a full understanding of but fascinate me non-the less. In my art performances I explore both my heritage along side other cultures, religions and traditions. My works ranges from the old folklore believes and the culture of the societal circles of our time. Depending on the idea behind the pieces I try to bring both social believes and try to consider their function in the current state of our western society. I try to see how they go along with the old traditional imagines and norms. This leads me in to a long research about the specific culture that I’m researching along other cultures that the ideas come up in. a lot of the times this dictates my material, as I strive to make the material appropriate for the ideas behind the aspect I’m seeking. However, the material I use do not traditionally correspond to the time period, beside that I try to incorporate string and the idea of manipulating string and how that manipulation can change the feel of the whole set. I try to show and challenge the old traditional by incorporating it with the performance. When I act in my set I embody a character that lives and occupies the space of the set. This set exist with out the character but the character does not with out the set. Making the let its whole life, the norm for the character.
One of the biggest influences on my art is Gregory Crewdson. His photography is aesthetically stunning. He creates fantastical worlds that yet are so real you are able to see your self in the. The characters that you see in are real but only really exist in this form in this one world. As well I’m stirred by the choreographers such as Wim Wenders and Merce Cunningham. Their performances/choreography breathe a life in to the movements of the dancers. I try to include the ideas in to my own performances.
As an artist I work hard to make sure that my sets work as a singular piece by it self. As I strive to make sure that my performances work with the set with out the set being engulfed by the performance it self. As forgotten culture and their design aesthetics need to have their own stand and be seen by the viewer. Peach performance strives to have a rhythm to it. It is created out of sets/ durations that repeat them self to create the sense of timelines. I attempt to lure the views in to my performances so that the outside world is forgotten and you only look at the actions of my character.
In a way my performances are an investigation in to an ideas of a mask and masking ones identity and assuming another. Assuming other stories on to myself.
Character creation:
In my performances I assume a role of a character, as I don’t want to impose my identity on the piece. Along that it is important to me to shy away from making my character to identifiable with the culture I’m exploring. I don’t want them to be specific but more of an idea of an idea of a role. For a lot of character creation I pull on my outside practice of cosplaying (costume play). It is a practice of assuming a role that you try to get as accurate as possible to the outside look of the character, along that you try to take on their personality. Tis type of character are recent and are more of the pop culture reference then a cultural reference. However this helps me to create and assume the roles that I create in my performances.
Some of my personal creations:
1st Maleficent, 2nd Ice queen and princes and bubblegum, 3rd Amour Guild of War 2
1st performance:
“Deceits in the forest, December 2014”
Left: sketch of the costume Right:Picture from the Dior’s man line of winter 2014
Ideas for the set and the design of this performance came after I looking at paganism and old tradition of Slovak.
Short summery behind the set: Specifically after looking at the Kupala night celebrated to this day in some parts of Russian, Ukraine and Belarus. Kupala night also know as Ivan Kupala Day. Is celebrated on the night of 23/24 June on the summer solstice. The deity Kupala or Kupalo appearing as a man or a mother spirit depending on the region. Kupala (bathing) also carries the important role of summer fertility. The Kupala traditionally if full of ritual acts, starting with bathing, offering of flowers cast upon water and ending with ritualistic dancing around large bonfires. The idea of water and fire having power of purification. This celebration of the peak of summer also falls on the shortest night of the year which was also believed to be holiday for evil. The night of trickster where all the wild things teased the people. As one of the rituals was to dance around an leap over fugue bonfire to prove courageousness to the evil.
Depiction of the Kupala night (http://www.advantour.com/russia/traditions/ivan-kupala.htm)
Left: preparing the wood Right: a log with wool wrapped around it
Creation of the mask for the trickster (combination of foam boards for the shape, felt and wool) trying to keep up with the etheric of the piece.
The set with out the performance happening in it. The idea is that it should work as a piece on its own with out me being in it. I strive for the set to be exiting on its own. There is certain esthetic look that I tried to carry on from my last sculpture pieces in to this performance
Left a still from the perforce Right: the costume
The idea of assuming the identity of the trickster: For this performance I undertake the role of the trickster god or the evil spirit. As the Kupalo/Kupala night is all about celebrating the good and the pure of the summer time, trickster role is very important. Many cultures and religions have either a god or a spirit whose role is not only to trick but tempt the good people. Fox is maybe on of the more universal animals that take on role.
However the trickster can take on many looks, as it is quick and cunning, and moves freely between the worlds of the mortal and divine due to its nature.
1st edit of the performance
In this performance I act as a trickster leering one in to the depth of the forest. My small fire changes color while I count down the number of victims fallen. Each marking representing the victim and elements at my disposal. ]my Performances employ the repetitive motions, going back and forth between the bonfire and my chart. I occasionally skip the step of piking up chalk of the ground. The idea is that the repetitive movement will create a rhythm to my action with the absence of music. Mesmerize the view in to watching the movements. As victim is absent from the performance, it should create uncertainty in the viewer’s eyes at what exactly they are looking at.
2nd performance:
“Slow/Silent madness” February 2015
This piece specifically inspired b the idea of ritualistic movement that one has in ones day. We get up we brush our teeth make breakfast get dressed; get on the bus/ car drive to work. Do the same thing at work we do everyday. Go back home, eat watch TV, go back to sleep and the cycle repeats it self day after day. Only in the night do we come face to face with that reality. This reminded me of ritualistic acts shamans or witch doctors perform. I’ve at a the side of that culture coming both from tundra to Africans but the thing that strike me the most was the rituals and the believes of the Haitian island. The idea of Haitia Voodoo and the way they create their god to this day. They combine popular figures with spirits essentially creating and not following their ancestress god but just their traditions. This was fascination. They create characters, something that I strive to do in my performances. I want to take aspects of the culture and combine it with ideas and assumptions (stereotypes) I got in my head about the culture.
http://s4176766.hubpages.com/hub/Haitis-Voodoo-Madness
Idea for the set: I wanted to take the old English etheric and strip it to bare minimum. Along that I replayed the normal and mundane with elements from shamanism esthetic.
Creation of the skulls: I looked at different type of animals skulls to imitate and sculpt the skulls out of plastic. The bear mountain goat and the bird seem to be the once that attracted me the most. I picked one carnivore and two omnivore type of spices in way to balance the animal spectrum.
creation of the bear rug and the bear cape: both of the elements of the set and my costume made with the same technique
Left: the set on its own Right: the set with me in it
Right: a page of my choreography left: still from my performance
Again in my performance the movements are dance like of the shaman summoning the spirits. Dancing and acting like an animal. Repetitive rituals repetitive movements. The performance round repeat it self after a while rhythmically not following the music/background noise
Through this performance I tried to explore the idea of repetitive aspects of life, thought the repetitive routines in which we find comfort and the ones that haunt us in the night. My dance is that routine. I assume the role of a shaman that creates a separate rhythm to the music at the back.
3rd Performance:
“I’m not implied” April 2015
Left: Russian Criminal tattoo Right: Yakuza tatooo
Performance “ I’m not implied” is inspired by the aesthetic and the culture of criminal tattoos all around the world. The culture of branding oneself with picture to show your status in this world. The criminals almost become like a characters and not a real person. Assumptions of a fully tattoo man or a woman to automatically be criminal. We objectify them and set then in to a group.
Left” sketch for the set Right: working on the tapestry
First layer of the tattoo backdrop (first layer is Russian criminal tattoos, second layer the Yakuza tattoos.)
Stills from my performance
The story and the reason behind their crimes. As those are the things that those tattoos hide. I see them as a mask. By simply looking at the tattoo you cannot see the severity of the crime nor do you know any idea if their crime was as wicked as we think. We tall them all under the same category. We assume what they are and what their story is. However, I don’t see it to be implied by nature. We as society construct the structure but the tattoos play a role in generating the social behavior thus structure it self. So it turns in to this cycle. This mask / tattoos inform the community of them. I’m not trying to understand them but I’m trying to understand the tattoos as an idea what they are seen, the concept. This is the reason why I chosen to at criminal tattoos as their aesthetical value plays no important role in what I’m trying to explore.
In my performance the idea of rubbing out the tattoos from my body in a sense is getting rid of the role the tattoos played in the opinion making of the other when they see someone with tattoos
An investigation into a world that is not one of mine but a world that I might have connections to or passed by.
Anna Okroyan 