By This week’s student art galleries feature “Catalytic Networks,” a show organized by students in professor Karen Kleinfelder’s art history seminars.
“Catalytic Networks” is a series of interactive performance pieces that features professional artists from the Los Angeles area.
Seven student committees were responsible for finding the artists, setting up the exhibit spaces and publicizing the event, among other duties.
Art student and show organizer Erich Wise said that the show uses the theory of relational aesthetics as a thematic starting point. Wise, however, also said that the show shouldn’t be labeled with any single theoretical construct.
“You don’t make artwork based on a theory,” Wise said.
Professor Kleinfelder said the student response to the class has been very positive. She described robust class discussions and said there was unprecedented interest in the show.
“The weirdest thing is, I have all these students from seminars past. They heard about it online and they came tonight. It’s made people find a way to talk,” Kleinfelder said.
In all, there are a total of 16 performances, some of which are continuous. They are diverse in the experiences they offer.
One such show, “Witness” by Allison Wyper, uses a single audience member each show and involves trying someone up.
Another, “Storytelling” by Eli Rarey, uses audience participation to create a pornographic screen show.
“Neighbor-Hood” by Derek Curry recruits audience members to catapult bandanas into a gated community.
A nice touch to the show is a lounge area around the studio art galleries where “Minona,” a café and performance, can be found. There, visitors can listen to regular performances by Spacewaves, an ethereal sounding band, while sipping on coffee or tea provided by artist Gary Spisak, who runs and performs in “Minona.”
After the caffeine recharge, visitors can head to the “Reading Room,” an installation where they can find information about the shows and sit and talk about the performances.
“The ‘Reading Room’ was about a place where we could have discussion and talk about because we think the talk and discussion is as important as the object, if not more important,” Kleinfelder said.
She continued, “We even thought the party was really important because that’s what people take away. That’s how art can start to be a catalyst of change.”
Performances for “Catalytic Networks” run until tonight at 8 p.m. in the Gatov Galleries. Admission is free.
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