WIGGLE SYSTEM
Wiggle System is a five day pedagogic, jello performance project. The project was inspired (in part) by Tom Sachs’s TED talk about authenticity. Sachs says: “find your own sympathetic magic and make it function...Building the world the way I want it to be...using my internal standard of what this work can be.” Watching the TED talk, Sachs sparked my notion of authenticity and ideas surrounding internal standards. I asked myself, (in the midst of the pandemic) “what is authentic to me right now?” My answer came in the form of a self-care project called Wiggle System. I needed a way to build knowledge and develop a deeper relationship with jell-O, jell-O making, and the Sonic Jello sculpture. I began the (Wiggle System) project by creating an “Instructions List” to follow and explore. The list offered me a guide of jell-O making-shaking rules which resulted in chance actions and unknown outcomes. The “Instructions List” is based on five elements: #1 jello mold, #2 jello color, #3 stirring objects, #4 “Artist PPE”, and #5 music & sound. I prepared ziplock bags containing numbered “fortune directive slips,” and object bins, containing corresponding numbered objects (that matched the numbered fortune directive slips) The Wiggle System project lasted five days, May 2-May 6, 2020. Each day, I followed the “Instructions List” and went to work. This project focused and connected me to my artist self. It engaged me the multiple ways of jello; performance; and solo documentation.
Wiggle 4 Me
Video
2020
Orange Gem
Video
2020
Instructions List
Pick slips of paper (fortune directive slips) from each one of the labeled bags: #1 Molds, #2 Jello Box, #3 Stirring Objects, #4 PPE Jello Wearables, #5 Sonic Jello Sound.
Put on artist PPE (mask, apron, gloves, headgear).
Go to object bins and pick out corresponding items that match numbers on the fortune directive slips.
Follow directives to make jello.
Refrigerate.
Unmold and place jell-O on Sonic Jello vibration sculpture platform; play sound, music, or talk to Jell-O.
Document.
May 2 - 7, 2020
Day 1 May 2, 2020
Mold shape, Round/ Mold material, shiny paper mold (holiday plant “jackets”)
Jello: Red, strawberry jello, 3 oz box
Stirring Objects: kitty stick, balloon inflator
Artist PPE: standard “cup” mask, gold crown, knit gloves, and “What’s Cookin’ bbq 50’s apron
Sonic Jello: Shaky Music playlist (random tunes and sounds)
Day 2 May 3, 2020
Mold shape, Cylinder: Mold material, two “Talenti” plastic gelato containers
Jello: Yellow, lemon jello, 3 oz box
Stirring Objects: GE, harvest gold hand mixer (Nana’s), a “root” stick
Artist PPE: Halloween clear she-mask, blue nitrile gloves, knit cap, plastic floral apron
Sonic Jello: Shaky Music playlist (random tunes and sounds)
DAY 3 May 4, 2020
Mold shape, Square, Rectangle: mold material, 1 square,1 rectangle, plastic containers
Jello: Orange, orange, jello, 3 oz. box
Jello: Green, lime jello, 3 oz. box
Stirring Objects: Ken doll, Hammer
Artist PPE: blue protective mask, white long evening (wedding gloves), swim cap & goggles
Sonic Jello: Sony transistor radio/ talk radio
Day 4 May 5, 2020
Mold shape, Round: mold material: 1 aluminum metal mold,
Jello: Green, lime, jello, 3oz. Box/ inserted dandelions
Stirring Objects: Marilyn Monroe “Warhol” stilettos, chopstick-carvel spoon combo, bristle drain brush
Artist PPE: “Bazooka Joe” t-shirt sleeve mask, yellow latex gloves, shower cap, black print shop apron
Sonic Jello: Record player: Elvis - “I’m all shook up” and Paul Horn/ Album, broke Paul Horn vinyl record: Horn was playing his flute to whales and I was playing his album to sonic jello. :)
Day 5, May 6, 2020
Mold Shape- round: mold material, copper color spiral mold
Jello: Blue, Blueberry jello, 3 oz. box
Stirring Objects: big screw, toothbrushes with electric toothbrushes, basketball trophy
Artist PPE: 1 piece sock mask, black long evening gloves, (Marilyn stiletto shoes), straw hat, “Reservations” Apron
Sonic Jello: I played both the molded blueberry jell-O spiral and pre-packaged single-serve jello-s on top of Sonic Jello vibration sculpture. I placed the jello on top of moving digital images (Microsoft touchpad) and filmed the interactions. Moving imagery on the touchpad included: disco ball, spiral, smiley face emoji images. Out of control and fun.
Wiggle System Object Collection (Installation View)
Wiggle System Image List
In order left to right top to bottom
01 Day1/ kitty stick stirrer
01 Day1/Portrait, PPE, Jello Queen
01 Day1/PPE collection, what’s cookin’?
01 Day1/Fortune Directives, Jello box
02 Day2/Portrait, PPE, mask, yellow
02 Day2/PPE collection, mixer
02 Day2/Yellow, lightbox wiggle
02 Day2/ jello in refrigerator
03 Day3/Portrait,PPE, B&W
03 Day3/Portrait, PPE, Color
03 Day3/"Ken"-collection
03 Day3/Refrigerator
04 Day4/PPE Shower cap collection
04 Day4/Collection
04 Day4/Portrait-Shower cap
04 Day4/ Collection
05 Day5/sticky kitchen mess
05 Day5/Straw hat, Bazooka Joe Portrait, B&W
05 Day5/ collection
05 Day5/Instructions list/wall journal
06 Ziplock bags containing “Fortune Directives”
06 Jell-O boxes
06 Brown bag of dry red jello
06 black cotton evening gloves
07 GE Hand mixer
07 toothbrush collection
07 tie dye apron
07 mylar plant wrappers/molds