Ceci n'est pas la neige cône

by Dean Liscum

I like art that makes me think. My thoughts about the works don't have to be pleasant or agreeable. Given the idiot-syncracies of my personality and thought processes, more often than not I am drawn to the works that I find disturbing and disagree with.

Matthew Gorgol's work Third Ward Sno-Cones, which is part of Project Row Houses 2011 Summer Studios, is a performance piece that did just that. Basically, the artist rode around the Third Ward on a bike giving away free snow cones.

Mathew Gorgol's Third Ward Sno-Cone delivery device

In the show's statement, Gorgol writes "This idea arose from the recession in America and the continuing heat in Houston. I have always wanted to be able to give something away...This exploration into the act of giving has initiated conversations ranging from the difficulties of being health-conscious to the economics of generosity."

The conversations that Gorgol experienced and alludes to may have been recorded, but they were not transcribed or displayed at the opening nor presented at his slide presentation on Wednesday, 8/24/11.

No worries.

I've taken the liberty of listing some conversation topics that this work inspired for me and listed them in the order in which they came: random.

• Is a small act of charity insignificant or even a false act of charity in that it makes the giver feel as though s/he has made a charitable contribution while the receiver does not experience a significant benefit?
• Is superficial charity false charity? 
• Can a snow cone be an agent of oppression?
• Can a snow cone be a weapon against oppression?
• Is giving free snow cones to an individual in an economically oppressed neighborhood an act of kindness?
• Could you kill (or at least starve almost to death) with kindness as an act of art?
• What is the nutritional value of a snow cone (refined corn syrup and water)?
• Who benefits (emotionally, socially, psychologically, financially, nutritionally) from free servings of non-nutritional food to economically challenged individuals, the server or the receiver?
• Could a nutritionist accuse the artist of distributing false hope in the form of seemingly innocuous non-food under the guise of charity or refreshment or relief? 
• Would s/he have a case?
• If the giver doesn't realize that s/he is harming the receiver (if only in social-historical context), is the giver absolved of any and all responsibility?
• Would you advocate putting the non-nutritonal food peddler in a room with a raw food zealot, 20 lbs. of veggies, and a juicer?
• Is it art if the participants are not aware that they are participating in art? Is it art-exploitation?
• Is this\are these vacuous, meaningless, empty gestures (of which art is often accused of being) that serve to distract/dissuade/deter individuals from seeking real change? 
• Can one be pacified by a snow cone especially if it's rainbow flavor (...after all it's got everything you could possibly want)?
• Can your refresh and oppress simultaneously?
• Is a snow cone ever just a snow cone?
• Is a question ever just a question?

Mathew Gorgol serving sno-cones at the opening

Gorgol rides the same route through the Third Ward every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday starting around 1 p.m. The route is posted in the exhibition space if you're so inclined to judge for yourself whether "Ceci n'est pas la neige cône."

...and if you have questions, you can always post the in comments to this blog.

Self-Referential Many Mini Post

by Robert Boyd

I'm sitting at Skydive right now for my Many Mini residency (Friday, July 15. I'll be here until 11:30 am. Feel free to stop by for a visit). The photo below was taken as I wrote the previous words.

The author in the act of writing this post (photo by Ryan Thayer)

I wasn't sure what I'd write during my Many Mini residency, but one of the requirements of the residency is this:

We request at least one digital photo and a short statement but can also accept video, links or other supporting material posted onliine. Please send one image immediately following your residency to be updated the same day.

So I am fulfilling my obligation with this post.

A series of small personal emergencies kept me from coming out to Skydive early this week until last night. When I showed up, Britt Ragsdale was just starting her residency.

Britt Ragsdale at the Many Mini (photo by Robert Boyd)

She was using the space to film people pretending to get shot. I was one of the "victims." The group that was following her residency was Sketchy Neighbors, so she recruited a bunch of them to die for the camera.

Shooting a shooting (photo by Robert Boyd)

Double Homicide at Skydive (photo by Robert Boyd)

Meanwhile, on the porch, Matt Gorgol was hand-shaving ice to make snow-cones. They were delish and very refreshing on a hot night. He's a sculpture major at UH, so I guess you could call this a social sculpture or a relational artwork.

Matt Gorgol and his ice (photo by Robert Boyd)

The Sketchy Neighbors did a performance piece called The worst thing you can do to people is forget them.  This is apparently the group's first performance piece. The performance required that viewers enter a room one at a time. So they had people line up.

Folks lined up for The worst thing you can do to people is forget them (photo by Robert Boyd)

A doorman controlled access to the performance, letting people enter for arbitrary reasons of style.

The doorman The worst thing you can do to people is forget them (photo by Robert Boyd)

When you walked into the main room (where I am currently typing these words), the Sketchy Neighbors began cheering wildly. And it was all for you. The viewer would hear cries of "You're number one!" and "You! You! You!"

Me getting well-deserved cheers The worst thing you can do to people is forget them (photo by Robert Boyd)

But they didn't stop until you left. So the longer the viewer stood there, the more uncomfortable it became. Eventually it was obvious what the strategy was, and viewers moved on (to the porch, where they could get a snow cone).

The Many Mini residency is going on for today and tomorrow--and there are lots of public hours. Feel free to stop by--even if there is no performance or event happening, you might find yourself roped into helping someone with their artwork, or at least having some interesting conversation. But also check out the events--this evening, there are two. The Chapel, a meditation period by Rachel Hecker, featuring her portrait of Dave Gilmour as Jesus. Come out and get comfortably numb. Then following that is Death Star, about which I don't know what to expect. Jonatan Lopez seems to be the prime mover here, but a bunch of people are involved.