By Mitchell J. Near
mnear@ljworld.com
There is a certain amount of futility in life's daily rituals, like making a bed just so it can be unmade to sleep in. Traci Tullius thinks there is some stupidity in the way we all spend our time, and she's turned her observations into an amazing interactive art display.
And while most artwork is static in its presentation, Tullius believes hers is a better way to involve art lovers in the creative process.
"I was never attracted to the traditional showing of art," Tullius says. "It's not inclusive or inviting. It implies distance from the viewer, and that's the way we've learned to view art since we were kids."
To counteract that, she's created interactive art that includes video images and live performance pieces. Her show, "Never Knew What Hit Her," is on display now at the Kansas University Art and Design Building.
Tullius is doing all this just because she wants people to feel like they are a part of the art process.
"It's exciting to make stuff and have people participate in it. Different things happen while people are watching," she says. "The pieces change everyday and all day long. I'm really excited because it's stuff people don't usually see."
Tullius received a bachelor's
degree in painting, but found herself drawn to images that moved, first in video and then in theater.
"It became more about the process of making something than in the finished product. I moved from video to guerrilla theater that way," she says.
"It's a lot of images -- really simple, seemingly everyday stuff. But they are all a little off. You think you've seen it before, but you're not quite sure," she says.
And what is her point? It's really about what we all chose to spend our time doing, she says.
"We're always doing stuff -- errands, clocking in, clocking out for work -- but nothing ever seems to get done. It doesn't make sense. It's unnecessary. So what's interesting is that idea of what productivity means, and what's satisfying to us," Tullius says.
Everyday life can drive a person crazy with monotony and futility. She demonstrates that point in one video montage that runs over and over throughout the day. In it, Tullius is hit in the head with a variety of objects. Energy is expended, objects are in motion, but it's a pointless waste of time. And that's her intent. She was even willing to get whacked in the head to prove it.
"I had a very sensitive friend throw things at me," she says with a laugh. "It's a good thing I didn't have a malicious friend doing it. Those things hurt."
But she doesn't want viewers to think life is hopeless. She only wants them to contemplate the best use of their time.
"There is a lot of underlying humor in this," Tullius says. "We're all in the same situation, and there is a feeling of togetherness in this."
-- The Mag can be reached at 832-7178.
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