IDOLS OF ART WALK: Dawn Haughey

Dawn Haughey

• Age: 30
• Hometown: Edinburg, TX
• Influences: Artists with surreal tendencies
• Upcoming shows: Currently working on a new project
• Website/ Myspace page: www.soundbased.org

Tell me a little bit about performance art. What do you see as the benefit of having people involved in presenting your sculptures?

Performance art is pretty much a wide-open genre. Some musical performances can even be seen as performance art. It's about being in that moment with everyone else who is in the room. Using my sculptures in a performance allows for a more honest presentation. The few times that I have exhibited sculptures by themselves, it felt very strange (and too easy) to me. I was interacting with the sculpture all during the creation process so why should that stop during its presentation? I guess I put more importance on the labor process rather than the end product. Performance allows me to keep my art in a continuous work stage.

How is creating performance art different from creating other pieces?

For me it's more of a whole experience. Because you're not just thinking about the object that is in front of you, but your also thinking about how you will interact with this object and how this object will tie into the sound composition and how it will all fit into a performance. You get to use more of your brain I think because there are so many different aspects involved.

What is your inspiration for your work?

I wouldn't really call it inspiration. When I start on a new project it's more about getting to the bottom of something. I'm usually trying to figure out a certain feeling and where it came from and then I take that information and turn it into something external, such as a performance piece. The sound series that I did was about figuring out sound for myself. Breaking sound down into its most elementary parts and then working only within those confines.

Who is your favorite artist?

I always felt a connection to surrealist works of art. Giacometti's work caught my eye when I was pretty young and Paul Klee. When I got a bit older I discovered music that fascinated me too like The Sugarcubes, Kate Bush, David Byrne and Arvo Pärt. I didn't understand why there had to be a division between the two groups when they were both trying to achieve the same thing.

What is the most interesting experience you've had while presenting your art?

When I was assembling the sculpture (which in fact was part of the performance as well) for the friction based performance at Archer Crosley's Festival De Aquellas, people were talking to each other as if I wasn't there. I guess that means that I was successful in turning myself into the art piece, but it was a very strange "fly on the wall" kind of feeling.

What role does sound play in your art?

Sound plays a very big part in my work. If there were no sound then there would be no performance. My sculptures are like instruments in a sense, which are accompanied by recorded sound compositions. All of the performances are based upon different aspects of sound.

What do you want people to get out of your work?

I would like for people to feel a certain amount of surprise and intimacy. I also don't want people to concentrate too much on the meaning of the performance, but instead on the way that it makes them feel and think.