On Saturday, April 23, FiveMyles Gallery will introduce a moving art exhibit, "Baby, said Alice B. Toklas. . ." conceived and constructed by Hanne Tierney, the gallery's owner and curator.
"Baby, said Alice B. Toklas. . ." is a self-performance exhibit/production that revels in and transcends its own artificiality. The precise movements of two cloth figures, hula hoops, copper pipes, and fabric configurations are being controlled in plain sight by a wood and plexi glass device.
Talented young engineer Oskar Strautmannis built the 12 motors and the robot that sends messages to the device whose levers manipulate the strings of the performing materials, creating the movement, gestures, lights and dialogue.
The figures are Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein, who are arguing over the worth of Stein's avant garde plays and operas. As they bicker, semi-abstract objects perform excerpts from two of Stein's plays, confirming her conviction of her modernist genius. The music of Eric Satie evokes the zeitgeist.
The 15-minute performances take place in the large studio adjacent to the FiveMyles gallery space. An installation of several objects from Hanne Tierney's previous performance works also will be on display in the gallery.
Performances on demand during gallery hours
Gallery Hours: Thu-Sun, 1 - 6 pm
Opening Reception: Saturday, April 23, 5:00pm - 8:00pm
FiveMyles Gallery is located at 558 St. Johns Place, Brooklyn.
