Continuum presents Meditation Lounge

Houston's newest Performance Art Group has prepared a meditative oasis at HCC Northline. So if you're feeling a little stressy, take some time to go check it out.

With the desire for creating an oasis for the students of HCC Northeast Campus and for the general public to escape the daily routine, Continuum, a new performance art group in Houston, has developed a series of interactive installations called "Meditation Stations" to be on view and functioning at the campus gallery, which is situated in the first floor, dead center in the middle of the building. Some of the stations feature written and audible instructions, allowing the participants to immerse themselves into a state of deep relaxation and self awareness.

The Meditation Lounge will be open to the public Monday through Thursday 8am to 8pm, from June 20th to July 14th 2011. There will not be an opening reception because such an event would defeat the purpose of this exhibition. However, Continuum will hold a BYOP (Bring Your Own Performance) event in the Lounge, in which they will hold initiation rituals for their new members. If you are interested in witnessing these special occurrences, or performing at the event, please email juliaintherye@aol.com.

Gallery Hours: Monday through Thursday, 8am-8pm,
Curated by Jonatan Lopez
Facilitated by Continuum
Special thanks to Tina Kotrla

Continuum's participating members:

Meghan Carey, Koomah, Jonatan Lopez, Raindawg, Hilary Scullane, Julia Wallace, Sway Youngston.

In “A Cleansing Ritual,” Julia Wallace shares a personal practice that she uses before she enters meditation. At the entrance to the Meditation Lounge, Julia offers special water that has been infused with powerful, positive energy through a group performance. Guests are given suggested directions for using the water ritualistically to prepare themselves to meditate.

"In-TENSE-ity" by Sway Youngston aims to completely relax the subject by tensing each muscle group in the body, recognizing the tension that already exists there, and completely releasing it. The subject will then be guided through mental tension liberation wherein negative emotions are acknowledged and released. “In-TENSE-ity” is a guided meditation delivered via audio recording. Subjects will lie on the cushions provided, put on headphones, and drift away.

Zen of Childhood, by Koomah, is a guided meditation that invites people to see the world through the eyes of a child. Video images include playing in a sandbox, bubbles, and washing hands. Accompanying music guides performers into a meditative relationship with the child-self.

In Tea Bliss, Raindawg employs a collection of teacups, stones, wind, and chimes to invite you on a trip to inner space. When you place a stone in a teacup, the sound of wind and chimes will carry you to a place to which there is no road.

About Continuum:

Continuum is a group of performance artists that came together in a performance art workshop facilitated by Julia Wallace in March and April of 2011. They are connected in the desire to help and encourage each other's self discovery through performance, as well as a desire to give the gift of performative expression to others. Continuum aspires to create an encouraging and safe atmosphere for each other as well as the community to explore and express themselves through the medium of performance art. For more information about Continuum please visit www.continuumperformanceart.blogspot.com

Emily Sloan's Southern Naptist Covention

This Sunday, June 12th! 1:00pm at 14 pews!

The Southern Naptist Convention.

A performance by Emily sloan.

After checking out this video,

you won't want to miss this.

For more information, please contact Emily Sloan at

713-582-1198 or emily@emilysloan.com or visit: www.nappingaffectsperformance.blogspot.com

About Napping Affects Performance: Napping Affects

Performance (NAP) and NAP Church are interactive

performance projects by 14 Pews artist-in-residence

Emily Sloan providing community naps in collaboration

with various performances, including (but not limited to) collaborations with sound, word, touch, and the delivery

of naps to various sites and/or contexts. In May and

June of 2010, NAP operated out of Art League Houston

with six weeks of continuous performances taking place

during Art League’s regular hours of operation. Since

then, followers and napophiles began meeting once a

month for a Sunday naps and naptisms during NAP Church

services.

Napping Affects Performance, Universal NAP Church,

and the Southern Naptist Convention are organizing the

"NAPTURE: Don't be Left Awake!" event to be held in

Houston, October 21, 2011 at 14 Pews. For more

information, please visit:www.nappingaffectsperformance.blogspot.com

About 14 Pews: Located at 800 Aurora St., Houston,

Texas 77009, this Houston landmark is the oldest white

wooden church in the Heights. Built in 1924, it has

housed the Sunset Heights Church of Christ,

Aurora Picture Show, and is now home to 14 Pews.

14 Pews is a non-profit microcinema providing regular

screenings of independent documentaries and feature

films, along with 4 annual film festivals and several

affordable film/video educational classes. For more

information, please visit:www.14pews.org

Artist Profiles: Skippy Cooper

ATTENTION FOLX: We have a new artist in town! And don't worry, she is way cuter in person (I'm not being insulting, I can say that because the picture above is from a series of photographs that deliberately hide her good looks!) Her name is Skippy Cooper. I can't wait to see what she brings to the mix. From the looks of this video, she has the potential to really shake things up.

She was kind enough to answer a few questions for Performance Art Houston, ENJOY!

Tell us a few fun facts about yourself:

Well, in addition to doing art, I also do stand-up comedy, write, and make music (I play the guitar, keyboard, ukulele, and sing). All of that to say that my prized skills are probably my typing speed of 101 wpm, and being able to juggle.

Where are you coming from?

Mostly insecurity, like a lot of people. I have questions about myself in terms of my racial and social identity, and I try to explore those. I'm half Mexican and half white, so I've always had some kind of struggle with my racial identity. Even just being asked what my race is, I'm never sure how to answer. People are always assigning races to me and I'm currently working on a video performance series on the subject. As far as social identity goes, I'm an adult with insecurities, social anxiety, and a vagina so the possibilities are pretty endless in that realm. At the same time, I'm always afraid to fail in life and have been that way since a young age. Normally, if I don't think I'll be just really great at something around the first time, then I won't even try. So I feel that creating characters like Michellie, where almost everything in her life is a failure, is important - and not just for myself, but for a lot of people. Failure is funny and everyone does it at some point, but normally no one wants to laugh about it when it happens to themselves. Michellie is able to kind of brush off the failures and find a silver lining.

What kind of art do you do?

I went to university for photography, but in my last year of school I was introduced to some really great performance and video artists by way of my mentor and professor (Sensei shout out!). I realized that my passions, questions, and ideas were really best suited for time based media. I still do photo projects that I love, such as On Separation and Glamour with a You, but I mostly use performance and video work these days.

Has Houston influenced any of your performance work yet?

I don't think it's influenced me and my work, really. Although, I'm not sure I'd be able to recognize if it were to influence it. I mean, I don't do a ton of location based work. Although, if I were to do that in the future, I would guess that whatever city I reside in would have the possibility to influence those pieces.

Describe a favorite performance art piece that you have done.

As narcissistic as this may sound, I'm actually kind of proud of a few. My first ever performance piece I did after realizing I loved the medium, was called Hug Jobs 1 . It came about, because I am probably the master at giving the awkward, uncomfortable hug. At the opening, I would sporadically hug visitors for at least one minute a piece. I thought it was interesting how this action and symbol of love and friendship could be turned into something uncomfortable and almost threatening.

My thesis work, Even Out of Adoration , is an exploration of self control and assigned behaviours of women. It was born from my history of feelings I had as a child, and still often have, when I would become frustrated or angry. My grandmother has had a huge collection of Swarovsky crystals that I was never aloud to touch ever since I can remember. When I would get enraged, I always wanted to break them and other things, but never could, so I never did. For the piece, I collected glass pieces that resembled precious keepsakes over the course of several months. I then displayed them on shelves before destroying them with an umbrella while wearing a feminine dress and high heels. I found the fact that this violent act is kept beautiful through my fashion choice and demeanor to be interesting and important.

Name some of your performance art heroes. Who has inspired/influenced your performance art? What is your favorite performance art piece EVER by someone else?

I love Jill Pangallo. She does a lot of character and identity work with an air of comedy, too. I also really love Wynne Greenwood's work, especially her Tracy and The Plastics pieces. Even though she's a photographer, Nikki S. Lee is amazing and it definitely influences my pieces, especially the ones that deal with race and stereotypes - her series "Projects" are definitely performances captured through photography; so I don't think she is only a photographer. William Weggman and Reggie Watts are both just hilarious to me. I tend to gravitate toward works that are funny in some way, but also interesting conceptually. They've all influenced me a lot in my performance work, I have to say. I don't know if I have an absolute, end-all-be-all favourite performance piece, though.

Visit Skippy's website at www.SkippyCooper.com

Maybe drop her a line and welcome her to town!

Alter Egos and Other Loves

Hi Sexy Houstonians and Performance Art Lovers. My name is Anita Latinlova, I am from Spain but I love America and I love Performance ART. I am a journalist currently working for The Houston Entertainicle (Your must reliable and honest source of news in Houston) and I was recently invited by artist Julia Wallace to write for this blog, and well... I am just so excited, here goes my first post:

Recently there has been an epidemic of alter egos popping out of the conceptual wombs of performance artists in Houston. Such is the case of super sexy Mr.Overdone (currently living inside artist Jennifer Tyburczy) who has been seducing Houston audiences with his unique gender-bending-neo-burlesque style performances .

Mr. Overdone, Courtesy of Loriana Espinel

Another whimsical alter ego is an irresistible macho man named D.R.E.D. (currently living inside artist MilDRED Gerestant) who enjoys highlighting gender issues through a variety of art forms such as spoken word, monologue and drag just to name a few. With his/her work, D.R.E.D achieves to show us what it means "To be yourself" disregarding what society might think.

D.R.E.D. Courtesy of www.blackgaygossip.com

More recently, an investigative performer named Zarvin Mindler (Currently living inside artist Emily Sloan) has been spotted around town. Art Car lovers reported seeing a mysterious looking Mindler closely examining the comings and goings at The Houston Art Car Parade. Mindler also published a report about the alleged doll abuse happening inside the icy white cube gallery called The Kenmore. (I don't know if this is just a coincidence but Zarvin Mindler sounds very similar to Marvin Zindler , a former Houston Press reporter, how strange).

Zarvin Mindler, Courtesy of Zarvin Mindler

And last but not least, there is me. I live inside an artist named Jonatan Lopez who also goes by (the artist that does not want to be named ) and more recently by, Roscoe Lopez. As of now, I only live inside the internet and in printed media, but one day I would love to see the real world. I heard is a tough world but I am a tough girl and I know I can take it.

Anita Latinlova, Courtesy of Hilary Scullane

D.R.E.D and Mr.Overdone will be performing this Sunday 5th at OTHER LOVES: Celebrating Queer Artists. Their performance entitled "We are Each Other's Lover's in Training" will invite us on a journey of gender transformation and share with us intimate moments of love and connection within, between, and outside the gender binary of "man" and "woman."

My alter ego, Jonatan Lopez, is also part of the show. He will dedicate his performance aptly titled "Other Loves" to the loves that could have been but weren't meant to, as he does unspeakable things to their photographs.

Other participating artists are Stephanie Saint Sanchez, Rob Baker, Stallina Villareal and many more.

Location: Houston Institute for Culture, 708-C Telephone Rd.
Time: Sunday June 5th from 6-8pm
For more info, visit www.vbbarts.org

In conclusion, perhaps that show on the cable net called "The United States of Tara" might have something to do with this alter-ego-gender-bending multiple personality madness. Or perhaps there is something in the water that artists choose to drink that is causing them to act this way. One thing is for sure, Alter-ego-ness is innovative, fun, contagious, and its coming your way.

Check out Performances by Continuum at SUMMERFEST!!!

"Bring Towel in case of accidental orgasm!"

Continuum, a new performance art group that recently sprouted in H-Town is bringing to Free Press Summer Fest a series of performances centered around the body and its potential to heat things up.

Continuum's members Julia Wallace and Sway Youngston attempt to unofficially break a world record with their piece "MASSage Orgy." “Let's come together and release each others tensions,” says Youngston. While undermining the validity of the Guiness World Record, the artists will attempt to surpass it's stated record for a Massage Chain of 430 participants.

Roscoe Lopez (a man from another country) is sharing with us the power of Yoga Sutra. “Yoga Sutra is about recognizing how HOT we all are and about achieving unimaginable positions while having The Sex. We are forces of nature and are entitled to act like nature,” says Roscoe. Continuum's members pitched in to pay for Roscoe's plane ticket, so this is an opportunity you cannot miss to "Sexy It Up." (must bring Yoga mat or towel in case of accidental orgasm).

Continnum's special guest Y. E. Torres (ms. YET) will present a super sexy 30 minute class entitled "Belly Yoga." ms. YET has combined the benefits of traditional yoga poses with bellydance drills and postures to create a singular workout designed to increase flexibility, tone muscles, strengthen the body, open up the breath, and enhance your bellydance or yoga practice.

In addition, Continnum will do spontaneous performances amongst the sexy Houston crowd. Look for them on Sunday June 5th as the afternoon cools down and they heat things up at FREE PRESS SUMMER FEST.

Participating members for this event:

Julia Wallace, Jonatan Lopez, Sway Youngston, Bryce Galbraith, Angela Whitford, Kris Smith, Eric Ling, Raindawg, Skippy Cooper, and Meghan Carey.

Continuum's local guest: Multidisciplinary artist and Belly Dancer ms. YET

Continuum's guest from another country: Roscoe Lopez

Special thanks to the coolest music festival in H-Town: FREE PRESS SUMMER FEST

WARNING,Yoga Sutra will cause the following permanent side effects: Falling in love with yourself, having sexy thoughts while at the gym, public displays of affection, involuntary prolonged erections, promiscuity and a strange European accent.

(Above picture: Yoga Sutra practice with Roscoe Lopez and Sway Youngston, Photo Courtesy of Koomah)

Visit our blog at continuumperformanceart.blogspot.com
or follow us at: www.facebook.com/CONTINUUMperformanceART