To Name An Other: Public Performance

To Name An Other is a free public performance organized by American artist Jeffrey Gibson at SITE Santa Fe. A new commission work involving video, performance and installation, this piece will for the first time be created entirely in collaboration with Indigenous community members from across New Mexico. Beginning with a full day empowerment workshop with the artist and performers, the public performance that follows will be recorded and included as part Gibson’s upcoming exhibition at SITE Santa Fe, The Body Electric.

Jeffrey Gibson (b.1972, Colorado) is a celebrated multidisciplinary artist whose works are represented in over 20 permanent collections across the US. He is a member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and half Cherokee.

PERFORMANCE DESCRIPTION:
Each performer will wear a custom garment designed by Jeffrey Gibson that has a “name” or text printed on it. This “name” describes an action or event that Jeffrey has found inspirational and courageous in the recent and current political climate.

The performance will begin with an empty set of bleachers. One after another, the performers will walk onto the bleachers and stand before a microphone, say their “name,” then begin drumming. They will hold for 30 seconds drumming in front of the mic and then walk to the top row of the bleachers. The next performer will step onto the bleachers and follow the same steps. The performers who are drumming will continue to drum as all performers repeat the same steps, until all performers are on the bleachers drumming together. The performers will walk off of the bleachers one by one, when called. They will continue to drum until they exit the space. The number of drummers will reduce to 0 and the performance will come to an end.