F E ATU RE S
February 22, 2013
7
One man^s trash may just be another man^s comemp
BY GABE POLLAK
Guest Writer
The pop charts finally reflect some thrift-store love.
Macklemore's hit "Thrift Shop" passes on Gucci in favor
of your Grandpa's button-up and is as much at home
digging for his "come-up" in a pile of musty clothes as he
is rocking a zebra onesie in the club. Macklemore merges
the thrift shop with the party.
Guilford College is also awash with thrift-store swag,
recasting second-hand clothes into first-hand style.
At a school threaded in thrift-shop garb, who is our
Macklemore? Who merges seemingly disparate elements
of style into something cohesive?
Visiting Instructor of Art Mark Dixon, of course.
Recasting the old and obsolete, Dixon's performance art
project, "Invisible," explores new ways of making music.
Along with primary collaborator Bart Trotman, Dixon
digs deep into thrift-shop oddities, transforming outcasts
of consumerism into instruments.
"There's no way you can't be fascinated by his work,"
said Assistant Professor of Art Kathryn Shields.
So what exactly is "Invisible?"
Physically, "Invisible" is an hour-long musical
performance using artist-created instruments, including
the Selectric Keyboard, a typewriter turned piano.
Utilizing the engineering expertise of collaborator Fred
Snider, the group created Rhythm 1001, a mechanical
rendering of modern-day beat-making technology. A bass
drum, a cymbal and even a plastic cup are fair game. As
a peg passes a switch on Rhythm lOOl's wheel, it triggers
the instrument's sound.
According to the "Invisible" website, "Trotman has
visited nearly every second-hand store in the Southeast
and has taken from most of them a story."
DEGREE
Pulling together "samples taken from self-help tapes,
answering machine messages, acting instructions and
vocabulary lessons," Trotman stuffs the sensory overload
of modern-day living into tracks that are simultaneously
overwhelming and absurdly funny.
"You have a — BEEP — I was rudely cut off," sounds
out "End-User Archive," Trotman's creation reminiscent
of "Revolution #9." "I was trying to tell you to have a very
safe, merry Christmas ... and try not to eat too much. We
...Dixon's performance art project,
"Invisible," explores new ways of making
music ... (He) digs deep into thrift
shop oddities, transforming outcasts of
consumerism into instruments.
got enough fat folks in the world. Love you. Bye."
How do they integrate all of these different elements?
The story began when Dixon was a student here at
Guilford, studying the art of sculpture.
"As much as I could scrape off other responsibilities, I
was in the art studio," said Dixon.
At the same time, he played in a popular rock band,
performing at least once a week. When Dixon left college,
he directed most of his attention to sculpture, but also
began creating his own instruments as a "sidelined thing."
It was then that Dixon faced a'stark new redlity. Without
the captive audience of college students, Dixon realized
the extent of the competition for attention. How could he
compete?
"This was the site of the crossroads," said Dixon.
In 2006, Dixon started "Invisible," uniting the rigor
that shaped his sculpting career with the immediate spark
of his music. The tinkering with musical instruments,
previously thought to be a secondary focus, emerged
instrumental in Dixon's work with "Invisible."
"That's what I try to tell my students," said Dixon, as he
twisted a paper clip into a mini-lightning rod and twirled
the new shape absentmindedly in his fingers. "You're not
sculpting because you're taking long walks or playing
video games or obsessively making lists. What you're
already doing can be brought into the fold."
Admittedly, "Invisible" is messy.
"From loading dock to loading dock, it's 12 hours," said
Dixon. "We perform maybe 40 minutes."
Invisible is measured better by the experience than
a neatly packaged mp3 and is difficult to translate into
commoditized form. Yet, that very mess is what draws
Dixon onward.
"If I didn't love the mess, then I'd have to think about
what I'm doing."
While Macklemore says, "They had a broken keyboard.
I bought a broken keyboard," Dixon takes an old keyboard
and makes a Selectric Piano.
You have a mess. What will you make?
"Invisible" exhibits on display
from Feb. 6 - May 17 in the Hege
Library Atrium.
How to afford a crazy art degree
Continued from Page I
in the business world. Others, such as
first-year Conor Sastre, work towards
double majors in order to make their
preferred field relevant.
"History majors alone don't have
that many (job) options," said Sastre.
Sastre currently pursues a double
major in history and education,
hoping to one day teach his passion
to other eager students. However,
a microeconomics course and the
promise of more financially stable
employment have led Sastre to
consider changing his education
major to economics.
"Except for the best of the best ...
most history majors are limited to
either delivering pizzas or teaching,"
Sastre explained.
Similar fears surround theatre
majors, English majors and women's,
sexuality and gender studies majors,
to name a few. But, these degree paths
provide a great deal of abilities and
understandings that will assist in
finding employment.
"One of the things I value about
the English major is that it makes you
incredibly nimble as a writer, as a
thinker and as a dealer of ideas," said
Visiting Assistant Professor of English
Mylene Dressier. "(An English major)
is valuable for anyone who wants to
be involved in social activism and
needs to wield language to transmit
their passions to an audience."
This is merely one option
among many in the list of potential
opportunities Dressier suggests. Other
options include entrepreneurship,
advertising, marketing and any sort
of content creation.
A list for history, art or theatre
majors would look similar, as these
degree paths cultivate a student's
ability to recognize trends and
effectively communicate with a
client or employer. All three may
find employment in marketing,
consulting, public relations or even
writing.
Joshua Friedman, a recent UNC
Asheville graduate, recounted the
usefulness of his art education in his
job search.
"I have found that the most
important things I learned studying
art were flexibility and creativity,"
Friedman explained. "Since I've been
in the working world. I've had to be
quick on my feet and look in places I
might not have thought about before,
but there are certainly jobs out there
for us."
The same could be said about any
"dead-end" degree path. The world is
a scary place, regardless of what you
studied in school. However, despite
the fears of Gov. McCrory, a degree
in something that is not obviously
practical is not a sentence to perpetual
unemployment.
Please join Us for a Reading and Celebration of
Carolyn Beard Whitlow’s
New Book of Poems
Reception,
Refreshments
and Book
Signing
King Hall 127
6:15-7:15 p.m.
Reading &
Discussion
Founders East
Gallery
7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 28
This event is co-sponsored by
The Greenleaf Review,The Multicultural Education Department,
and the English Department