Rachel Serrell
Staff Writer
University of Wyoming art students and community members are performing, Work Flow 004, in collaboration with artist Trey Duvall.
The performance is completely free of charge and audience members are encouraged to come and go. The performers for the event were called for help through social media and direct requests to various classes, and word of mouth. The performance is supposed to be an extension of the exhibit.
“[The performance] will create an absurdist assembly line, exploring repetition, futility, and fallibility,” according to the UW Art Museum’s webpage.
“With the real-time experience tomorrow night, the artist has control over the idea, but not what might happen with variables and real-life humans as part of an absurd machine,” said Katie Christensen, curator of Education and Statewide Engagement.
Audience members will be encouraged to create their own conclusions about the performance. On Fri. at 11 a.m., the audience is invited to come back to discuss with Duvall about the Work Flow 004 Performance at the Art Museum.
“Life is full of the absurd, and the profound and so is this performance. Come see what it’s all about!” Christensen said.
Duvall’s visiting exhibition explores the ergonomics of absurdity, while shifting away from literal actions towards more abstract philosophical propositions. He uses a large-scale installation, video, performance and other sculptural and organizational mediums to capture his message.
While the repetitive movements, gestures and patterns seem to add up to nothing, that nothing can mean something too. Duvall’s work concerns entropy, futility, humor, duration, stamina and material or physical exhaustion.
Duvall received a master’s degree in Fine Arts from the University of Houston. He is currently a resident artist at RedLine Contemporary Art Center and acting Director/Curator at SITE Gallery Houston in Houston, Texas.
The Work Flow 004 Performance will be today from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Visual Arts Building lobby. Duvall’s exhibit will be available through Sat. Interested community members can see more of his work by visiting his Instagram page @treyduvallart or @redlinedenver.
