Nosey Parker's TAZ @ ERGA TOPICA 2- Opening night

Erga Topica is an outdoor invitational curated by local sculptor, painter and educator Greg Edmondson. Erga Topica 2 featured Nosey Parker (Robert Goetz -Exhibitions Preparator, Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis, MO and Brett Williams - Interactive media installation specialist, Science Center, St. Louis, MO); Craig Pleasants - Program Director, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts; Jennifer Odem - Assistant Professor in sculpture, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN; Alison Ouellette-Kirby -Associate Professor in sculpture, St. Charles Community College, St. Peters, MO; and Eric Troffkin - Program Director, School of Art, Washington University, St. Louis, MO. Erga Topica is a Greek term that roughly translates into English as site specific. Thomas Jefferson School of St. Louis, an independent boarding and day school, is the site in which this exhibition takes place. Nosey Parker's work consisted of two Temporary Autonomous Zones (TAZ's for short) designed and built by myself and outfitted with wifi video and DVD recording gear supplied by Brett Williams. The TAZ's were placed 320 feet from each other to approximate the width of the Mississippi river at the Mary Meechum historical site. All photo's taken during the exhibition were by Jamie Kreher, a local artist and educator.

Catalog Text:

Dear Viewer,

Maybe we’ve turned aside the normal role of the artist and have asked the viewer to shift from the passive spectator and made him or her the subject. We cant speak for everyone but everyone can speak and thus there’s an unexpected and actual exchange between artist and viewer. It’s definitely like Nosey Parker is asking the audience to create the subject of our work. We’ve constructed the environment, given you a suggestion and now we think you should supply the content. You, yes you...and before you get the nervous tickles may we remind you that our necks are on the line.

Our history as Nosey Parker has been that of a collaboration. Informed by various media and open to an evolving set of methodologies, we have sought to bring about the unexpected. With the Temporary Autonomous Zones project our concern encompasses all impromptu and /or rehearsed performances. “Performances” are defined within the general and specific employment of the term ie., you can do whatever you want. We are cataloguing performances so we feel there is sufficient proctoring unless we find there are some exhibitionists among you. That, by the way, would be most unexpected.

With that said, we invite performances from the students and faculty of Thomas Jefferson as well as from the visitors to this show. For the future we are considering artists who are active in a specific performance genre. If you have an idea about a specific type of performance please let us know.

Thank you,


Nosey Parker - Robert Goetz


PS.

This iteration of the T.A.Z. is a departure from the original idea of a cold, calculated extension of passive/ active space. The original idea of a virtual bridge is still there we just took a temporary departure.



Poster from Performance by Brett Williams. Photo taken by Jamie Kreher








Brett Williams performing "The Shaman" as an interactive component to our Temporary Autonomous Zone installation.





Brett Williams (St. Louis artist and one half of Nosey Parker) - In TAZ A. transmitting to Carrie Waldman (New York painter) in TAZ B. Joyce Pensato - New York artist, is looking on.




Left to right: Susan Schultz - graphic designer and partner, Thordis Adalsteinsdottir - New York artist, two unknown viewers,
Greg Stone - New York artist, April Kirchner - Inturn at Laumeier Sculpture Park. People in TAZ: Sabine Russ - New York critic and curator, Jon McCafferty - New York artist and studio assistant to Elizabeth Murray, Maximillian Volk - Son of Gregory Volk and Sabine Russ (art critics and curators).




From left to right: April Kirchner - My intern at Laumeier Sculpture Park, Jon McCafferty - New York artist and studio assistant to Elizabeth Murray, Thordis Adalsteinsdottir - New York artist, Brett Williams - St. Louis artist and one half of Nosey Parker,
Joyce Pensato - New York artist and uninhibited photographer.




People in the TAZ: Maximillian Volk and Jon McCafferty