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.

Through the lens of movement, dance, spoken word, live painting, autobiographical and narrative storytelling I present work that is designed to arrest the senses with visual beauty and challenge the faculty of reason, while simultaneously offering up wit, interaction and wonder.

My work has often pushed the boundaries of human experience, both physical and mental. Through the performance of feats such as sword swallowing and advanced memory demonstrations, my routines encourage a reconsideration of our self-imposed limitations. My newest work does not veer from that tradition. Rather, it adds a fresh level of inventive expression to effectively change the status of these demonstrations – from that of stunt to creative artistry.

The routines which I have created have been influenced by a wide and colorful palette of artistic sources. Music – from Bach to Piazzolla – has played a large role and its influence can be seen in unusual ways, as in my beautiful if peculiar sword swallowing tango. The influence of modern visual art can be observed mingling with classic mentalism and social commentary in my interactive and humorous live-painting vignette, Sketches. My stylized spoken word draws influence more from literature – from Kafka to Dostoevsky, Mann and Nabokov – than it does from modern day spoken word artists. Add to the mix a selection of sophisticated psychological manipulations drawn from my background in mentalism and you have a mode of expression which is undeniably unconventional.

With Experimental I aim to bring to the fore issues of intense and timeless interest while presenting the material within a framework that is entertaining, provocative and unique. More than a series of stunts, this collection of vignette-like routines presents remarkable demonstrations in theatrical, stylized ways that will delight, amaze and, my greatest hope, inspire.

Roderick Russell, Sword Swallower, Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, NASA Grant, Kafka, Dostoevsky, Mann, Nabakov, mentalism, artist statement, sword swallowing tango