Some Siren Sounds
by Bethany Ides
We operate by performing VISITATIONs on-site, whereby we designate that site as distinctly transitional; at play, mutably in motion. VISITATIONs are a kind of intervention that draws on established practices (ie. writing, reading, building, navigating, conversing, as well as un- all these things) and practical forms for interaction (ie. a seminar, a studio visit, printed material, an art exhibition) is upended and rerendered into something distinctly less recognizable; more slippery, bendable, portable. Likewise, VISITATIONs are a model for tracking the transitions that come about when an organization is prompted to act more like an individual might; freer to take risks, more lithely able to suddenly pivot, unencumbered by institutional regulations and goals, inclined perhaps to produce something that would seem impractical, inefficient even.
Originally appeared in the online supplement to the Beyond Category issue 43.2-44.1