project rednoW - Performance Art and Freestyle Crutching

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Performance Art and Freestyle Crutching

The Absurd General
Written by Bob Davidson
Thursday, 23 August 2007
Description The Absurd Title: Work it Out Artist: RJD2 featuring Bill Shannon Type: Video According to Wikipedia, "performance art" revolves around a situation that embodies four basic elements: time, space, the performer's body and a relationship between performer and audience. Bill Shannon (a.k.a. "The Crutch" or "Crutch Master") is quickly becoming one of the recognized "artists" in the New York City area (and now worldwide). Shannon has what is known as "bilateral hip deformity" which consequently has placed the familiarity of "the crutch" underneath his arms. Shannon has chosen to turn this reality into art form - mystifying onlookers on the streets as well as within the NYC dance scene. Director Joey Garfield has recently captured Shannon's creativity for RJD2's latest music video "Work it Out." After watching the video (immediately following), be sure and check out the short documentary piece (below) on Shannon and his committment to a free flowing art form. For more information on Bill Shannon, visit whatiswhat.com Work it Out Artist: RJD2 Director: Joey Garfield YouTube Version CRUTCH (A documentary trailer of Bill Shannon) Bookmark or Share This Article Trackback(0) TrackBack URI for this entry Comments (0) Subscribe to this comment's feed Write comment Name Website Title Comment

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About "The Absurd"

When we think of the wondrous and the mysterious we often think of the deep and the profound. The deep and the profound obviously create a sense of wonder in us and move us in ways that we can't explain. But there is another aspect of wonder that often gets overlooked-the ABSURD. In the same way that there are things that move us because of their profundity and beauty, there are other things that move us to a joy that cannot be intellectualized, a sense of enjoyment that has no explanation. The author G.K. Chesterton describes this inability to explain these things that move us to joy as the "problem of pleasure."

"Why is sex fun? Reproduction surely doesn't require pleasure: Some animals simply split in half to reproduce, and even humans use methods of artificial insemination that involve no pleasure. Why is eating enjoyable? Plants and the lower animals manage to obtain their quota of nutrients without the luxury of taste buds. Why are there colors? Some people get along fine without the ability to detect color. Why complicate vision for all the rest of us?"

It is this pleasure and joy that we cannot begin to explain (why the lip gloss song is so catchy, why Strong Bad's randomness is so funny, why Sufjan's costumes and inflatable props make the concert so much more than a concert, etc.) that we hope you can experience in the Absurd section of this site. There are many times when exploring mystery and wonder expand our understanding... but there are also times when we must revel in the absurdity and let a piece of art, a song, a video, etc. simply be what it is and to enjoy it at that level.

Welcome to the Absurd section of rednow.