Portland artist, musician, and curator Colleen Kinsella’s WORKNOT project has brought performers, dancers, musicians, artists, poets, puppeteers, and various other “undefinables from all over the continent” (her words) to the SPACE Gallery to work individually and collaboratively over the last two months. (See “Outer SPACE,” by Megan Grumbling, January 13; and “Dimensions of Depth,” by Ian Paige, January 20.)
Six years on from its first incarnation as a series of events and exhibitions held in the lobby of the Bakery Studios on Pleasant Street, WORKNOT has evolved into a much more ambitious and complex production that nevertheless remains as experimental in its aims as it was in 2000. Here Kinsella speaks with the Phoenix about this year’s WORKNOT and its relationship to her own practice.
Kinsella: Making music inspires my art and vice versa. I work in an environment of constant creation, not meaning just myself but the others around me working, writing, playing, dancing. It is a fervor that I cannot ignore and has affected my work immeasurably. From creating a simple flyer for the band comes a new direction. Working in the band Cerberus Shoal prepared me for the tough uphill battle of collaborating. Six individuals who all want their ideas heard and represented in one musical piece can be a frustrating and exhilarating experience.
The managing of artists and performers has everything to do with trust. I could count on the fact that they were all willing to work with one another because that is how I proposed the idea of WORKNOT to them. I was lucky enough to know and cultivate relationships with artists who could I give an inch would stretch my idea to a mile because WORKNOT is the culmination of performance and art and everyone involved had an enthusiasm to break gallery tradition.
Phoenix: Often times we imagine that we are stepping outside ourselves to meet the challenge of a fellow collaborator, but aren’t quite, or find ourselves riled when we’re nudged outside an artistic comfort zone — all of this seems to me to be what makes collaboration such an interesting endeavor, perhaps more than its successes. Why do you think collaboration works, when it works, and why does it fail when it fails?
Kinsella: Collaboration is a tricky business. A common assumption among artists and musicians is that under the right circumstances everyone can collaborate. Personally I don’t think this is true. Some people are better suited to work alone. They can struggle painfully for years in attempted collaborations. Some cannot work by themselves and thrive in an atmosphere of many ideas. I think collaboration works when you have experience with an artist and a connection that goes deeper than the work itself. Collaboration is in so many ways communication. Ability to communicate honestly and without fear of stepping on toes is crucial to success. Even if all parties are aware of what they are getting themselves into, still it can fail. It is a risk on all levels.
Phoenix: So what was the most interesting convergence of music and art for you during the WORKNOT project?
