STATEMENT
Leaving room for improvisation, I designed and orchestrated a theatrical basement gathering as a crucible of creativity within which the participants and I forged a nice-ish time. Frankensteined candelabras lit the cold space as we sat on ad-hoc softness, eating a menu of pantry items donated by guests. Both pleasure and discomfort had a seat at the table as we celebrated the ability of the human spirit to glean enjoyment amid suffering. I infused the happening with opportunities for joy through visual tension, story-telling and humor in the interest of reconsidering moments of imperfection or insufficiency. This joyful resistance fuels my lifelong practice: first facing the economic austerity of the 1980s during my childhood in communist Romania and now, as I confront the distress produced by late-stage capitalism of the United States. Rather than a critique aimed at any political philosophy, with this project, I encourage the ingenuity of leisure-seekers within systems that produce hardship.