The Discovery Channel documentary You Swallowed What? featuring myself (Roderick Russell) was recently named Best of the Discovery Channel.

You can still catch it if you haven’t seen it. Upcoming air dates include May 2, 3 and 5. View the episode guide here.

As part of the grant process (see previous article) I recently authored an artist’s statement for my newest show, set to premier as a work-in-progress in late May/early June of 2005. Below you will find it in its entirety.

Roderick Russell - Artist’s Statement

My newest solo work, Experimental, represents a radical departure from my standard performance style while simultaneously capitalizing upon the unusual skills historically found throughout my stage work.

With an eye towards stylized visual appeal, evocative writing and synthesis of diverse techniques, my work aims to be intellectually, emotionally and artistically challenging for both myself and an audience. The themes found throughout the show revolve around our universal human experiences: love, fear, time and - most encompassing - the role of perception in the construction of reality.

Okay, so it’s not exactly the biggest media appearance ever, but because it’s so obscure you should play Find Roderick in the latest issue of Renaissance Magazine (yes, it’s at all the big chains). There are two photographs of me buried somewhere within that issue. Hell, I’ll even send an autographed postcard to anyone who bothers to look and can correctly identify the location and the photographs. Just send along a message (don’t post it as a comment) and be sure to include your address.

-Roderick