Good Space Carriage Gloria, 2016
Performance by Olga Koumoundouros and Gabie Strong
Gabie Strong helped record some footage at the Salton Sea that was part of the video work, "Salting Fruits", central to the exhibition. During the second phase of the onsite performance, the artists had to negotiate the elements in real time. Everything from a stuck truck in mud, to the stunning sulfurous gaseous outbursts into the air, a burned foot by the geothermal energy, lack of drinking water, incessant wind, a group of wandering scientists on expedition studying rare birds, and emergency crews not able to read their distress signals. Each earth-bound element transferred energy through and against our bodies producing both a menace and glorious gift. For the closing performance, Koumoundouros and Strong seek to replicate this cyclical relationship by manifesting the gravity waves, sound waves, air waves, and electricity. In dialogue with the story, "Houston, Houston, Do You Read?" by James Tiptree Jr. otherwise known as Alice Sheldon, the artists will recreate that day channeling the idea of the woman-run space traveling vehicle Gloria "rescuing" the mansplaining astronaut crew in space.
Gabie Strong is a visual artist and musician exploring spacial constructions of decay and affect.