“Sometimes things change even when they don’t”, Gabe Flores. Gabe Flores is an artist/curator living in Portland, Oregon. Gabe Flores is always at the beginning, middle, and end of a 10 year plan.
Yesterday evening I took part in socially engaged work “Cavity Search” created by Gabe Flores @ Kronika Center for Contemporary Art in Bytom, Poland. Read also an interview with the artist and a few words about the project from my own perspective-link: http://business-relations.pl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1013:balanced-information&catid=44:komunikacja-i-negocjacje&Itemid=68.
“Cavity Search” is a dinner made up of 10 dessert courses going from savory to sweet with paired beverages. The guests agree to follow some basic guidelines during the Dionysian style meal, but also act as free participants for the duration.
Some of the expectations of the guests are the following: they wear the shirt-like garment provided; they eat and drink everything; they fill out the questionnaire prior; and they give consent for Gabe Flores to create personalized messages to them individually throughout the meal. “Cavity Search” explores themes of pleasure, free-will, and endurance.
In many ways “Cavity Search” is a tactic of stepping into Gabe Flores for a few hours. Making desserts has been a major part of Gabe’s narrative since he was 9 and is still one of his primary ways of practicing how to balance information. The personal messages placed under the desserts are a mild reenactment of the voices he alone could hear a little over 8 years ago. The individualized messages follow the narrative arc of what he calls his alternative perceptions to the statistical norm. Also, being raised as a Jehovah’s Witness Gabe often wonders about the power of the hive mind. Given the right setting, guidelines, and expectations people often possess the ability to excel farther than they might have been able to all on their own.
Warning: If you have dietary limitations or a medical condition (high-blood pressure, diabetes, etc) then this socially engaged work might not be the best for you to participate.
Gabe will be replicating a version of this social engagement February 2013 @ Deep Field in Portland, OR.
Source: text – www.gabeflores.com, photos-Maya M. Kowalczyk
