Open Surgery
Interactive performance installation
Open Surgery was a one-off collaborative project between Oreet Ashery and Svar Simpson. The project was made and shown during 2001 for a site- specific location in Toronto and was curated by “FADO”: www.performanceart.ca. The location was a very large scale empty open-plan office with a cooperate feel and a matching colour scheme.
Open Surgery was an interactive installation divided into two. One large social space was the ‘waiting room’ where people could spend time with a variety of activities like juicing, hair cutting, massage, wish wall, etc. the space was functioning like a day centre.
Another smaller room was the ‘surgery’ where participants book a one-to –two interactions with the artists. During the hour-long interaction, the artists in uniforms were performatively engaging with what would make the best ‘treatment’ for the participant. Some of the treats included; a social home video watching night for a recent film buff immigrant who wanted to meet people, A queer photo shoot for the actor/performer Ed Johnson, a massage, a picnic by the sea, the words radical discontinuity hand- stitched on hard-wear gloves for a gardener who also liked going to demonstrations.
The piece was a reflection on the self-help and new age industry, as well as the investigation into the remits of what an art practice might be.