“In church, the light was always on the pastor, or the deacons, or the church ladies, or god, never me—unless I fell asleep and got the slap.”
-William Pope.L, Women and Performance Interview, February 2015
Art pushes boundaries, creating necessary ripples in the calm surface of every day life. Humans, accustomed to seeing and experiencing what is expected, may be unaware that this disruption is integral to a deeper understanding of our world and ourselves. We live within minds that spend every waking – and sleeping – moment in an endless battle to make some sense of a world that often makes no sense at all. It is only when the switch is flipped, when that world is altered in such a way that it defies the neat corners that our minds so crave, that we can begin to realize there is a universe beyond our tiny square of consciousness.
William Pope.L da wootitah widdih. / Ehm scivit uh bk eh hmm uhh nkits eh le poss mutz goets un teh nwooket e le vant un le sestit ehh p ehh sciwah. / G’uhtehh aligeh da tkoste yea mm egidotor boutwah g’dlskdt loubackah ditzitiwa wootehketz kp### yebitse ehti gebooh t’ehm ngt eh bahkit ilevahm tgliwahwotoh eleket fotit edeh en ickabotsee eh deckopts fot en…
In addition his well known work as a performance artist and interventionalist, Pope.L produces paintings, photography and theater as well as being an educator for many years. To hear more from William Pope.L, listen to the complete interview.
Pope.L is a performer, painter, photographer
A Few Words to Keep in your Pocket:
Look directly into the sun of discomfort and absurdity and know yourself better than you ever have before.
Interviews are available on iTunes as podcasts, and for Android please click here. All weekly essay pieces in a shareable format are here. The full archive of interviews here.
Books to Read
What are you reading? Add your titles to our reading list here. Kathleen, a Praxis user, is reading All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Bela, also a Praxis user, is reading The Quantum Revelation – A Radical Synthesis of Art and Science by Paul Levy.
Deadlines
There are several exciting opportunities from Antenna in New Orleans, Louisiana at the moment. “You can apply for the opportunity to exhibit at Antenna Gallery, have a book published by Antenna’s Paper Machine, or have a month long residency at the Paper Machine publishing center. All opportunities provide creators with both financial and logistical support!” Visit the website for more information. Deadline is November 30.