SURVIVE THIS!
Resilient Cities I Social Engagement I Urban Prototyping I Civic Hackathons I Public Art
An ongoing series of participatory urbanism and preparedness public art projects revealing our Catastrophile Complex. I am an Apocaloptimist (a term I coined in 1992). I draw from Apocalyptic theory to understand the feeling shared by my generation that we have already lived through some sort of end, emotionally, in large and small ways. These projects (1995-2008) explore the aesthetics derived from the sub-cultures of preparedness and paranoia, community and rugged individualism.
EMERGENCY KITS
Concerned with the lines between preparedness and paranoia, self -sufficiency and community, and one's personal comfort weighted against National Security, This project charts the aesthetics of survivalist gear on a bell curve defined by the opposite extremes of the Do-It-Yourself “woodsy isolationist” and the ultra militaristic sky-mall executive gadgets. The populist R.E.I day Kits make up the top curve. These Emergency Kits were for the rest of us. The kits served as both practical survival kits and as a performance-teach-in platform, called "Survivalist Tupper-ware Parties" to discuss fears, ideas, practical tips, and resources in a climate of Code-Orange Level Alert Status.
SURVIVALIST TUPPERWARE PARTIES
Performances: "Tupperware party" was a performative infomercial-style interactive performance demonstrating over 40 recommended items researched by the "Preparedness Division" of ElkTech, an art and design creative umbrella company the artist founded in 1992 - 2008.
Installation: The borrowed form of a trade show booth, complete with products and infographics, designed to prepare local residents in the event of a major disaster.
Exhibitions: The Emergency Kits were exhibited at SFMOMA's Shadowshop, the Sonoma County Museum, The National Museum of Science and Technology in Sweden, SMITH, Southern Exposure, Johansson Projects.
Installation: The borrowed form of a trade show booth, complete with products and infographics, designed to prepare local residents in the event of a major disaster.
Exhibitions: The Emergency Kits were exhibited at SFMOMA's Shadowshop, the Sonoma County Museum, The National Museum of Science and Technology in Sweden, SMITH, Southern Exposure, Johansson Projects.