Founder of the LAB series Brooke Herr presents an evening of structured inquiry, experimentation, and artwork(ing): "I’m collecting a series of letters between myself and other artists, discussing / debating / mulling over our reasons for art making. My question is primarily to do with purpose… what do we perceive to be the purpose(s) of our work, or the work of others? The fruit of it? The motivation for it? And ANY number of conversations which could stem from that initial train of thought. The trajectory of each correspondence can emerge from the individual chemistry between myself and each artist, and it may evolve as we go. There's no particular direction I want it to go, nor am i looking to simply validate / prop-up our sense of contribution. Critical views, confusion and doubt are welcome. I've encouraged everyone to write/draw/communicate with any form, style, or amount of clarity they like. My correspondents will decide what I can share on the evening of the 10th: - - the letters in their entirety - - sections of the letters - - a work sample (or a couple) - - a bio - - nothing at all It is then my task to incorporate the given elements into an evening of work. I'm open to using all tools - the letters themselves in a kind of installation, reproduction of them (perhaps a zine?), performance, video, discussion, audience participation... It is a welcome challenge and a leap of faith to build something in such a brief time span, and to trust that once the letters are written, I'll know what to do with them. "
Brooke Herr is a video artist and performer in Brooklyn. She got her BFA in dance at SUNY Purchase, and there discovered her interest in multimedia and collaborative work. Since moving to Brooklyn in 2011, Brooke has been producing/performing work with others (primarily N JETTY M with Weston Minissali and ROSARIO by Adriane Lee), exploring the world of house venues and affordable spaces, and making the exciting transition from one medium to the next. Brooke was born and raised in Tucson, AZ. booksherr.tumblr.com
More about LAB: Each event will be somewhere between a performance, lecture/discussion, or experiment - designed by one artist. The goal is to create an environment in which the artist can pose (perhaps answer) some question they have about their own practice, utilizing the willing audience. It is an opportunity to take risks we might not take in a performance setting, or have a more candid relationship to the audience, or generate new ideas, ways of thinking, drive home a point, or gather feedback, etc. etc. My hope in creating the series is the emergence of a space where the possibility of failure is embraced, even invited, for the sake of stretching ourselves as be-ers, makers and thinkers - the only desired "result" being a mutually beneficial learning experience for both artist and audience, and the movement of ideas.