In Washington Square Park. (Below At the Middle)
StrataSpore will begin to workshop for A site specific performance in Movement Research at the Judson Church Series; November 2, 2009
The Oldest living tree in Manhattan CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
Have you hugged yr tree lately?
Rehearsal:
Above are spores, weather, chance, improvisation..
Above At The Middle was a performance for the Conversations at the Flea. Curated by Nina Winthrop Moderated by Tere O'Conner
Driving Thoughts
STRATA SPORE
biG CAAK(E*)
A Project by biG CAAKe
for the iLAND 2009 Collaborative Creative Residency Program
biG CAAKe is an interdisciplinary collaboration team united in re-imagining space,
material and situation for the purpose of initiating playful engagements with
and understandings of urban systems and living.
“Scientists have discovered what could be the largest and oldest living organism on earth, an individual
mightier than the blue whale, the giant sequoia tree or such past pretenders to size supremacy as the
dinosaur.…the finding will force biologists to rethink their assumptions about what constitutes an individual,
a fundamental problem in the study of the natural world and its ecosystems. Scientists normally
view a single organism as something bound by a type of skin, whether of animal flesh or plant cellulose.
But fungi grow as a network of cells and threadlike elements whose boundaries are not always clear.”
(The New York Times April 2, 1992)
“It’s a limitation to be bound by the three dimensional body. So, reconfigure the three dimensional body into a cellular body -- instead of thinking Deborah Hay, I think 384 trillion cells at once.”
- Deborah Hay
When the largest and oldest living organism known surfaces, it manifests as a delicate mushroom no
bigger than the palm of a hand. Inspired by rhizome networks as tools for bioremediation, a metaphor
for the layers of unseen infrastructure below our feet, and a collaborative niche upon which to focus
a collective narrative, we propose a multifaceted interactive research project that will culminate in
events combining dance, education, environmental remediation and architecture
StrataSpore is a platform for collective knowledge about local NYC ecosystems and its potential for
applications in urban sustainability. The platform will cultivate “spores” of knowledge by combining
elements of task/performance-based art, experiential learning, and experimental design practice that
implements a dialogue about unseen, natural and man-made systems as sites for restorative sustainability
applications. Our focus will be directed to the mushroom, and its potential for changing the
ecology within a landscape. We invite communities and individuals to partake (with CAAKe) in a multidisciplinary
practice of visualization and re-interpretation of natural systems (mycology) as models for
community engagement. Based on the connective function and form of mushroom ecology, StrataSpore will harness local fungi
as a model for engagement and re-interpretation of living in urban spaces.
Above the Table , At the Middle , Below the Table/Not Yr. Typical PE CLASS
The University of Trash: Free Skool
On Saturday, May 23, 4 of us visited your center. While there, we encountered 3 vibrant, friendly, fun-loving young adults making pasta. Although we still don't know the connection between that and your "trash" exhibit, my friend joined them in their project, and subsequent lesson in dance movements relating to the bodily movements of making fresh pasta.Following are some pictures. If these people are still coming to your museum, please pass these photos on to them. I'm sure they would enjoy seeing them. Thank you. Anita King
This is not your typical physical education class. Competition will be set aside along with ugly gym uniforms, and getting picked last. We will consider our bodies to be building materials for imagination and reinterpretation. Through a series of collaborative and invigorating exercises, we will meditate our own physical structure within a shared physical landscape. We will consider the space we occupy, and imagine our bodies to be support structures or building blocks that work collectively rather than opposing. Classes will run from May 21- 25 at the Sculpture Center in Long Island City in part Of Nils Norman and Michael Cataladi's project, University of Trash 2:30-4:30 pm
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- The body is filled with bones below gravity . ( Exhibiting a test of body positions that stretch out tired bones.) Re-orientation of table legs so they become a surface
- Working with others to find connecting points
- Head to Head connecting
- Birth marks as starting points for dialogs
- Kneading and rolling. (Pasta making) How does one use their body in the making of a meal?
- The voice, the conversation, and the stomach
- Make dough
- Play dough
- The body bending into sections. Bending from the hips.
- Accessing or feeling the ground
United Rites Of The Table (In Parts)
Pressure Points (2008)
Pressure Points was a collaboration with Andrew Weeks and Natalie Heller. We were extracting sounds from an creaky flight of steps in an old tenement building in the Lower East Side (specifically, ABC NO RIO for their Ides of March Biennial). A series of dances were performed on the steps. The sounds rather than the visuals of our movements were recorded. We presented to the public a sound piece played from 3 boom boxes that suspended from the ceiling above the stair case. Visitors were invited to sit on the steps and listen to a looped, non-linear narrative of action.The Burial
Performed by Gail Accardi, Jorge Colombo, Sally Im, Lucca Leopardo-Brunt, and myself. The Burial was was presented at an eco-festival at Socrates Sculpture Park in September of 2007. The Burial was a reaction to being involved in a war over natural resources. The Kinks' song Well-Respected Man plays while Gap Models act bored. they listen, dance, and pose for the photographer. In one part, a drumming solider plays along with the boy on the violin, to the song, "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" Honey Cakes travel to the platform by Gap Models, are placed on the record player, lowered down on the record player, replaced back in the basket, and then are shared with the audience. Honey cakes in the Myth of Trophonious were gifts given to the two snakes which guarded the entrance of Trophonious' cave. Once the snakes were appeased. Trophonious would offer his cures and prophetic visions for the future.
Other photos by Jorge Colombo here: http://www.jorgecolombo.com/burial
Eating/Maps
"The Drawing Table" took place in May 2007. In this event, drawing students from Columbia were invited to share in an end of the year party at the Ramphouse. The afternoon involved them purchasing food en route. On arriving, their contribution was arranged into an edible still life. The still life changed as they consumed it. 
Nudes and Foods
January 24, 2006 : 24 More at the GWB Ramphouse
24 More was a close collaboration with Kate Shearman, Amanda Matles, Ely Levin, Emilie Stark-Menning, Beatrice Barbeleschi, Mike Cataldi, and Chuck Miller. 24 More was a 5 course meal presented on my 25th birthday. Goethe's story, The Sorrows of Young Werther was incorporated into the piece. 5 courses were served throughout the evening, A 24 layer cake followed.
The kitchen and hallway was projected into the dining room 
Dancing and serving here: Kate, Emilie, and Bici 
Looking in the kitchen from dining room (Photo by J. Colombo)
A new apron for each course. 
Mildred's Lane
Making Ways: I was living in a house, (the Mildred House). There was no running water or plumbing. Therefore the outhouse was used often. When the leaves began to fall, I would rake the trail that led from the house to the outhouse. 
Mildred Debris: This is the back of the Mildred House. I took an afternoon to clean up some old debris which felt as if it had been there for ages.
Garden Rescue: The weather report called for the first frost of the season. Outdoor plants were brought indoors.
Some Re-potting: Plants/herbs brought indoors were taken outdoors to be transplanted into pots for a life indoors for the winter.
Room Clean: Grey Rabbit's bedroom getting organized.
Insulating Mildred House: A layer of plastic was tacked to the screens to block out the cold drafts.
Music in the Mildred House: I was making a mix tape.
Reading: In the Mildred House, there was no television.
Chopping Wood: Here, wood is split for kindling. 
Burning Trash: old scrap pieces of wood were burned here.
Dish System: Water would be hauled to the Mildred House, and dishes would be washed within a basin, and rinsed over a dry sink.
Grocery Transport: When the snow came so heavily, that cars could not make it through the trail, I resorted to walking and using a sled to transport groceries and such.
