I AM A PERFORMER!

I AM A PERFORMER! is an ode to the creativity that we have exclusively when we are children. No matter the number of toys, activities or events we attend when we are young, we constantly discover new ways to reinvent ordinary objects into complex, exhilarating scenarios. For example, a night watch the super bowl could turn into a spy mission to steal blueberries from the snack table, or a bowl full of lug-nuts gets served to a stranger as a gourmet pasta dish.

I AM A PERFORMER! references a creative decision very specific to (child) myself, one in which I turn an upside-down plastic chair into an elaborate performance stage. As a child, I would stand on the underside of the chair bobbing up and down while singing and dancing, explaining to my parents that I am “exercising” or “performing” for them. This new contraption assists my child-self in their vision, with microphones attached to the tips of the chair legs, validating my incessant claims that I AM a performer. This piece of furniture can only be used by children. Adults who attempt to use it find themselves contorting into very awkward positions. If they work hard enough, they can successfully speak into the microphones, but it is not natural to them, and it’s not meant to me. This idea parallels one of my strongest beliefs, and the only reason why I envy children; adults have to work to be creative, children don’t.

This project was made possible in part by support from the Frank-Ratchye Further Fund Microgrant #2026-007. See more images here.