'For Us, By Us, Eat Us, Save Us' - The Immersive Art Experience You Can't Miss!
On September 7th, I walked into a space that was littered with posters and advertisements on the walls. I was greeted by two people who were checking people in and there was not much direction other than to sign in and fill out a paper that had three questions that I must say will take you some time to answer. We were provided with a map of the layout and informed about what was permissible to touch and what was off-limits. It’s about 8 pm on a Wednesday and normally by this time I am chilling in my pj’s ready for bed (yes, I am a grandma) but I was invited to see the exhibition “For Us, By Us, Eat Us, Save Us” by the lead artist of this project Taj Rauch and curiosity led me to the Icebox Project Space within the Crane Arts building. As I awkwardly stood there I wondered what this could be all about, while I scratched my head to answer these deep, thought-provoking questions on the spot.
Image provided by Taj Rauch
Thankfully, I ran into someone I knew and as we spoke lightly about the event, we were greeted by a stranger (played by actor James Garlock) who was ready to introduce the show. They dressed nicely in a dress shirt, suit, and face hiding behind sunglasses. This mysterious character precedes to tell us that he will escort a group of people before most of us to the show and finish our conversations as he chooses the lucky few. Once again my mind is racing and I am left wondering what is about to happen. After the first group was chosen, we waited for about another 5 minutes and were finally let into the room by another actor (Troy Witherspoon) who portrayed the security guard.
Actor Troy Witherspoon | Image Provided by Taj Rauch
The space was lit with low lighting and a haunting soundtrack was playing in the background. The atmosphere matched the art that was awaiting us on the long strip of wall in front of us. Black & white imagery filled the walls with ghostly-like figures. The strokes are wild but strong with a sense of urgency in each painting. Even though there was so much more to explore, I was intrigued by the work that was out in front of me. I stared at the faces of the paintings and wondered what they could mean. They all looked like lost souls that were trapped, ready to find freedom. The medium of all the paintings was ink on paper which was a good medium of choice as I believed it gave the expression of the paintings.
Once I turned the corner, I was greeted by another section of interactive art where guests could play and be in touch with the story of the exhibition. On one side, there is a screen engaging in conversation with guests as they interact, reminiscent of the chat rooms from the early 2000s.
On another side of the room, there is a blank canvas on the wall with a decorative frame, my instant reaction was to question its placement, did it have a larger meaning? Before I could investigate, we were told by the “security guard” that we all had to stand in line. Some of the other guests didn’t know what was going on and it was like a game of follow the leader. Even if you didn’t hear the instructions, we all saw people get in line but we didn’t know the exact reason. Some brave souls jumped out of line to finish exploring but they soon were told by others to get back into the line. Just then, the blank screen behind us flashed with loud static before showing us imagery that we eventually learned to help us explore the exhibition more than we thought we would.
In the center of the space were audio installations of five headphones and CD players. The first message that is heard is,” We should be absent of who we normally choose to be”. That instantly put me back in mind of the painting I just saw, were they trying to escape who they normally chose to be, who they were told to be?
Image provided by Taj Rauch
Overall, the For Us, By Us, Eat Us, Save Us, immersive art exhibition was an exploration of Black art and the exploitation of Black culture and Black lives. I think the show does a really good job of questioning art gallery etiquette while giving the guests the reigns to make this show whatever it could be. It also highlights the stigmas Black artists go through regularly and lets you live the experience firsthand for a while. This art experience was not only refreshing but much needed. I was delighted with the interactive portions of the show which made me excited to see what else was looking to be investigated. While there is so much more I can speak about my experience, I want to save the rest as a nice surprise as I believe this experience is not to be missed. There is still time to see that next show on September 18th at the Icebox Project Space. If you are a homebody like me whose bedtime is 7 pm, you definitely will want to skip it to experience this amazing show.
Show Details
Wherehouse presents
For Us, By Us, Eat Us, Save Us
September 4th & September 18th,
5 pm, 6:30 pm, and 8 pm each day
Icebox Project Space
$25 General Admission
Tickets available at fringearts.com
