Jack

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1hd5UzMVuaOZFrMgQRcy_lKZdlCQCjjSpBF8PvS8xwz8/edit?usp=sharing

symposium bibliography

O’Malley, Connor. “Howard Schultz Tapes (4K Full Movie 2019 Free).” YouTube, July 16, 2019. https://youtu.be/DLJtMwXkdz4.

Rotter, Daniel. “Awesome New Chopped Chin Joke.” TikTok, March 26, 2025. https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSyMoonYM/.

Tehching, Hsieh. Jump Piece. SIFANG ART MUSEUM. SIFANG ART MUSEUM. Accessed November 1, 2025. https://www.sifang.art/hsieh-tehching-jump-piece-19732017.

Turvey, Malcolm. “Comedic Modernism.” October 160 (June 2017): 5–29. https://doi.org/10.1162/octo_a_00289.

Sound Object

My sound object took the form of a fantasy relic and a pressure plate that when interacted with, would play a magical sound for the participant. I wanted to approach a fantasy context with the object ”choosing’ the viewer. in this trope brought to the real world, the cursed and magical sound is now diegetic, leaving a sense of wonder and dread.

here were my process sketches. Originally, I wanted the object to look more like a flute but the balance was too lopsided. I added more handles and decided to create a more alien design with less of an observable purpose. My first plan was to have sound play as the object was lifted, but that proved too difficult. Instead, I settled with a disguised button that must be pressed before the object is lifted

5 Moments of magic

Live Art Ritual

Alchemical Transmutation for Popcorn

+Wear your garment which most closely resembles a cloak

+ Prepare a: Microwave

Microwavable popcorn

Stick of Chalk

set of (4) candles

+ Read the following passage aloud:

Truth! Certainty! That in which there is no doubt!
That which is above is from that which is below, and that which is below is from that which is above, working the miracles of one. As all things were from One. Its father is the Sun and its mother the Moon. The Earth carried it in her belly, and the Wind nourished it in her belly, as Earth which shall become Fire. Feed the Earth from that which is subtle, with the greatest power. It ascends from the earth to the heaven and becomes ruler over that which is above and that which is below.

+ Using the chalk, Draw an alchemical circle with the symbols:

🜍, for combustibility

🜂, for fire

🜄, for water

🜔, For salt

+ Place the microwave within the circle

+ Place the candles evenly around the perimeter of the circle

+ light the candles

+ place the popcorn inside the microvave

+ press the popcorn button and begin the transmutation

+ read the following passage aloud:

The all is the mind, The universe is mental.

As above so below, as within, so without

We Invoke as a mirror, the highest laws, the seven principles

Mind as well as metals and elements may be transmuted, from state to state; degree to degree; condition to condition; pole to pole; vibration to vibration

Transmute that which is undesirable into that which is worthy

The planes of matter are the planes of the mind The all is the mind, the universe is mental

+ place your hands on the microwave and meditate on these words to elevate the mind

+ wait for the popcorn to finish

+ remove the popcorn from the microwave and try a piece

Artist Statement

This idea began with the period of waiting that comes with popcorn. There was a meditation and a transformation that correlated in my mind- where the viewer is waiting for the object, the popcorn, to fundamentally change. To me it played out as a metaphor for enlightenment; the popcorn opening itself from a chrysalis, born again in a new form. Pairing the physical and mental change is what lead me to the philosophical school of Hermeticism. Hermetic idology contains alchemy- the transmutation of matter, however, it also views transmutation as something that can heighten the mind. Hermeticism contains a lot of affirmation and manifestation in the hopes of invoking esoteric knowledge. In this way, both the participant and the popcorn are being transformed by the ritual.

Symposium Proposal

participation is the aspect of performance art that always leaves me most fascinated. Collaboration between an artist and audience will always captivate me with its spontaneity alone. What I find most intriguing is when people allow themselves to leave the world behind. I find now that there is so much cynicism around performing and participation, that just watching someone break away from judgement to do something absurd never fails to capture me. For my symposium, I want to research and showcase some work that has inspired me, and potentially get people to interact with me outside and maybe during the presentation too. I also want to talk about the value of absurdity beyond just the shock and comedy.

@zach__zucker

idk why people pay money for this #standup #familyguy #comedy #petergriffin #stamptown #broadway

♬ original sound – Zach Zucker

I’d like to call attention to this comedian, Zach Zucker. He performs alongside a soundboard which allows for conventions that could only exist in cartoons, into the real world. I think that the absurdity of this performance is a reflection of internet comedy- spliced up sounds, repeated jokes/ scenes, and most above all, allowing the audience to be in on the joke. But thinking farther into this performance, the audience needs a certain knowledge basis to participate in something like this, an understanding of how a show or a joke should progress. These are ideas I want to explore with my presentation