I imagined John Graves Simcoe and Henry Dundas’ personal relationship through a series of correspondence I generated based on historical research at the University of Toronto Thomas Fischer Rare Books Library. This work culminated in a performance at the library, dialoguing my generated letters and watercolors (attributed to Elizabeth Simcoe) with historical artifacts such as books, dog hair, and hand-drawn maps. Highlighting the ongoing mechanics of colonial violence in southern Ontario, the work drew into question the practice of honoring a known bigot and opportunist by portraying him as such through the constructed narrative of personal correspondence.

Revolution Revolution

Revolution Revolution is performance and video work by Gillian Dykeman that activates the latent radical potential of the human energy amassed through engaging fitness. Operating as a home stationary bike workout, Revolution Revolution delivers fitness instruction in tandem with revolutionary rhetoric. Utopia is latent within the everyday, so how do we move from sliding over its radical possibilities and instead find a way to activate it? What is the energy of revolution? How do we better engineer our energetic outputs to formulate collective ways of being out of a culture that glorifies individualism …to radically reimagine what it is we’re doing with our lives?  Our life-force? Our love? See more on Vimeo and HERE

Revolution Revolution has been presented over dozen times as either a exercise-bike or aerobics based performance both live and as video installations. The performances include fitness instruction and revolutionary rhetoric, usually tailored to a given location or exhibition theme. Below is the documentation from the development and presentation of this work at the Banff Centre for the Arts.

I did an independent residency in November and December of 2017 at the Banff Centre, where I developed Revolution Revolution work substantially. I made a large backdrop painting 7′ x 12′ for the video version of this work.  It’s a watercolour on canvas. At this time, the major focus of my revolutionary rhetoric was on the needs of contemporary workers; the Precariat in particular.

Thanks again to artsnb.

REVOLUTION REVOLUTION harnesses the amazing energies generated by a roomful of people focusing together on a demanding task. This performance activates the latent radical potential of the human energy amassed through engaging fitness. Operating as a stationary bike workout and fitness movement (complete with its own posters, costumes, and YouTube home fitness videos), Revolution Revolution delivers fitness instruction in tandem with revolutionary rhetoric. Utopia is latent within the everyday, so how do we move from sliding over its radical possibilities and instead find a way to activate it? What is the energy of revolution? How do we better engineer our energetic outputs to formulate collective ways of being out of a culture that glorifies individualism …to radically reimagine what it is we’re doing with our lives?  Our life-force? Our love? 

 Thanks so much to artsnb for supporting this new project.

I had an exhibition of this work at Saint Mary’s University Gallery in the summer of 2017. It was shown in tandem with AgitProp: Soviet Propaganda 1905-1945; an exhibition of Soviet Poster Art.

As a tour guide somewhere between wilderness interpreter and docent, I lead attendees through the exhibition and onto Chicago’s Famous Midway Plaisance. I interpreted the landscapes of Lands End under the same terms as the landscape around the gallery. I drew the tour content from historical facts, overly personal stories, and lyrics from the Broadway musical My Fair Lady.

http://arts.uchicago.edu/landsend

Update: Here is the Audio Tour!

I decided to go read to him.

I went today and read him the whole novel “The True Deceiver” by Tove Janssen.