Round We Go with Rex Starts April 19th at 12:00 p.m.
Round We Go
I am constantly humbled by the kindness and generosity of the Hawaii sports community. It is truly a collection of people from all walks of life, all shapes and sizes, old and young who gather daily to take part in the gift of life by exercising the body that was given to them. We live in a unique environment that allows us access 365 days of the year with breathtaking backdrops while providing a stage for world-class events as well. Numerous as these communities of people are, so too are the ephemeral acts of humanity, compassion and charity that generally go without much notoriety or fanfare. These sorts of acts are a common thread among every group that I have been fortunate enough to get involved with. It is exactly because of these communities that I have been coming out to play year after year with the same enthusiasm for living and the environment that I have had since my first steps outdoors. I love experiencing the out of doors and I can say that when I am with those who have the same experiences, there is no need for explanations.
It seems only fitting when I had to make a decision to choose a form of expression to complete my study for the Bachelorette of Fine Art degree in Studio Art at the University of Hawaii at Manoa that I chose a participatory, experiential form outside the traditional studio. For the sake of engaging the academic, we’ll call it “live art” or a “durational performance.” For the rest of us, it’s just going for a walk: a walk around the Island that is. I choose to walk because walking for pleasure or politic is a special way of attaching ourselves to the landscape. It coagulates time and makes a place dense with prickly details (Sacha Kagan). I am inviting the public to circumnavigate the island with me as pedestrians, starting from the University of Hawaii at Manoa Art Gallery at 12:00 pm on April 19, 2013 and eventually returning on April 21st at our point of departure. Eminently aware of the challenges of durational performance, this journey strives to create an aesthetic, gestural presence, within the context of the people who gather for the experience. This presence will inevitably disappear, but not before the residue of the experience has woven itself into the fabric of this place through the practice of telling stories and the conviviality of a community that continually inspires me. You can follow along via Facebook or Twitter if you can’t participate. Here is a link to the route:
Rex Vlcek