Stop Crying, Allyson Packer at Axle Contemporary, Santa Fe NM.
You may have noticed, but if not, I have featured my friend, Allyson Packer, on and off, over the years I have known her. I really enjoy her work, the ideas and thought she puts in. On occasion I would show up and photograph her work, unofficially, it tended to be performance based visual conceptual work, if that isn't a genre of art, it should be. I do wonder though if documenting such types of work sometimes takes away some meaning from it all, as like, Stop Crying, at Axle Contemporary's mobile art gallery, was very in the now, and photographing something that is about presence, doesn't quite translate. Translation or no, I mostly did it because I like capturing those types of moments, particular of a friend that I respected her work. I have missed documenting a few of Allyson's similar works/performances, for example, one where I forgot my camera, but realized that it was mostly in the dark anyway, so needless to say, I would have ruined the ambiance with a flash. And one on a billboard, that I wasn't aware of till after the fact. But I also wanted to be a part of this one, mostly because it is Allyson's last show in New Mexico, at least for a while, as she goes to the midwest to advance her career, and I will dearly miss her presence as well as her art. I hope you can glean some of the enjoyment myself and others experienced from this small article, it surely was. I'm sure she will have more up on her website in the near future.
You may have noticed, but if not, I have featured my friend, Allyson Packer, on and off, over the years I have known her. I really enjoy her work, the ideas and thought she puts in. On occasion I would show up and photograph her work, unofficially, it tended to be performance based visual conceptual work, if that isn't a genre of art, it should be. I do wonder though if documenting such types of work sometimes takes away some meaning from it all, as like, Stop Crying, at Axle Contemporary's mobile art gallery, was very in the now, and photographing something that is about presence, doesn't quite translate. Translation or no, I mostly did it because I like capturing those types of moments, particular of a friend that I respected her work. I have missed documenting a few of Allyson's similar works/performances, for example, one where I forgot my camera, but realized that it was mostly in the dark anyway, so needless to say, I would have ruined the ambiance with a flash. And one on a billboard, that I wasn't aware of till after the fact. But I also wanted to be a part of this one, mostly because it is Allyson's last show in New Mexico, at least for a while, as she goes to the midwest to advance her career, and I will dearly miss her presence as well as her art. I hope you can glean some of the enjoyment myself and others experienced from this small article, it surely was. I'm sure she will have more up on her website in the near future.
From the show, "Allyson Packer's performance Stop Crying will enlist the help of viewers to create a laugh track to be played as a sound installation in the Railyard. During the performance, Packer will work one-on-one with viewers to elicit and record the sound of their laughter. Immediately following each encounter, the new recording will be added to an audio track containing laughter from previous participants. As it grows over the course of the performance, the resulting laugh track will be played outside Axle in the Railyard. Packer's performance art explores vulnerability as a form of agency, and how removing boundaries can affect the balance of power in interpersonal politics."
Check out Allyson's work at http://www.allysonpacker.com/ and as check out Axle Contemporary at http://www.axleart.com/
