Artwork
Performance
ID
My Friend Kyle Has A Brian Tumor
Year
2022
Concept
Ben Nicholson instigated an investigation into the shortcomings and oddites of my behavior at a time when I was ailing medically. Through interviews and mutal editing this object was born.
About
In 2021, I experienced health difficulties that caused noticeable peculiarities in my behavior. My friend and colleague, Benjamin Nicholson, intrigued by and suffering the consequences of those shifts in my temperament, decided to develop a performance on the subject. After months of interviews, Ben had composed a script for the Denver Fringe Festival.
"I have a friend named Kyle, who has a tumor between his brain and his skull. Kyle is an artist. I would like to tell you about Kyle and his art and how both are mutating. He’s not so different from us, after all; he’s also concerned with work and love."- Ben NicholsonMy role in creating the work was as a partial subject and editor of the script. As you may discern from my script notes, it's more accurate to say I attempted to distract Ben from airing all my dirty laundry. Most of my additions include odd tangents or unhinged ravings. Ben condensed the plethora of my edits into an hour-long performance. Now, I am as much an audience member of this work as I am its subject and contributor. I feel exposed by it, but I appreciate Ben’s attempt to make sense of such a chaotic point in time. I know Ben's efforts were effective because the performance has become the de facto record of my temporary shift towards insanity for my family.