Good News. In May I will be presenting my Process Mundane workshop at the Open Engagement Conference for PSU's Art and Social Practice Program. Here's a bit about the workshop: Driving home in rush hour traffic, waiting for a flight on a long layover, doing the dishes, changing a diaper in the middle of the night, washing clothes, flossing teeth, waking up to an alarm clock every morning, taking out the trash, cleaning out the refrigerator, paying bills, buying milk, and deleting spam from an inbox. How can we face these monotonous tasks with more ease and clarity? How can we view them as unique experiences rather than moments that are played on repeat every day of our lives?
Process Mundane is a 90 minute workshop designed to help those who face daily drudgery take a look at their drudge more microscopically. Gleaning inspiration from "self help" evangelism, corporate board meetings, Allan Kaprow, and Alan Watts, Process Mundane takes a deeper look into the roots of monotonous tasks, evaluates each task, and offers viewers alternative ways of performing each task. The end goal for Process Mundane is to give a sense of play and creativity to the particularly lackluster moments most people tend to forget about.
Here is a breakdown of the workshop:
Welcome - participants will take a seat then be asked to sit in their chairs in a way they've never sat in a chair before. They will be asked to shake the hand of someone next to them, then give them a high five, then (if they like) sniff them. These exercises are designed to appease feelings associated with meeting and being a stranger, being somewhere you might not want to be, and also to improve circulation in the hands, arms, legs, and feet.
Introduction - I will introduce myself as artist, worker, woman, mother, and mammal. I'll briefly discuss the meaning of each of my titles using accompanying visual representations.
Participants will be asked to anonymously write their own titles onto paper then place them into a box at the head of the room. I'll read aloud from the pieces of paper and ask guests to interpret the titles based on their own associations.
For the remainder of the workshop, I'll evaluate some of the more monotonous tasks people are burdened with and present options to make tasks more appealing, creative, energetic, and present.
As an added bonus, I'll be wearing a power suit.