Bryant Park Shoeshine, 2016
42nd Street and 5th Avenue, Manhattan, New York City
For this participatory public performance, I bought a pair of all-white Air Force 1's and received a shoeshine at the stand on 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue in midtown Manhattan. The work embeds itself in the practice of shoe-shining to explore it's material and metaphorical qualities, and it's relationship to aspects of identity, power, and labor.
Exercises (Supported by More Art 2020 EA Artist Residency Program)
April 2020- present
In the project, participants are invited to follow a set of instructions and submit documentation of completed “exercises” which formalize certain aspects of boxing. The project serves as an educational resource, providing practical and useful information for a wide audience, while also re-claiming the day-to-day practices of the boxer and framing them as conceptual works in and of themselves.
I will add to the list of exercises as I think of them. Participants are free to choose what they'd like to do from the list.
All are welcome to participate. Submissions can be sent to info@transboxing.org
Make a Slip Bag (tennis ball, sock, handwrap, curtain rod), Ada Jane McNulty, New York, NY. May 2020.
Documentation:
Instructions:
Throw These Punches: Jab, Jab, Cross, Hook, Cross, Hook
Make a video (10-20 seconds or so) of yourself doing the following combination: 1-1-2-3-2-3. (1=jab, 2=cross, 3=hook) The video does not have to include your face, or even your hands, but some part of your body should be included in the shot. The video can be edited/cropped.
Make a Slip Bag
A slip bag is a small, weighted bag which hangs at eye-level and swings in a pendulum-like motion. The bag is used primarily to practice bobbing, weaving, and slipping punches. The instructions for this exercise are to make a home-made slip bag and install it in your bedroom. Take a photograph of the slip bag with the flash on. The slip bag should be the main object of focus. List the materials used.
Take an Epsom Salt Bath
After a workout, take a bath with Epsom salt. If you have a fan in your bathroom, turn it off so that the room can fill with steam. The bathwater should be hot. As the tub is filling up, pour in 4-5 pounds of Epsom salt. Run your hand through the water to break up any clumps and to make sure the salt has fully dissolved. After you’re done with your bath, and before your drain the tub, take a photograph.
Shadowbox in a Public Place
Find a location in your neighborhood that is traditionally busy, with pedestrians, shoppers, people waiting for the bus, etc. Shadowbox for 3 minutes. Leave. Record the date, time, and location where the action took place.
Teach Someone How to Throw a Jab
This can be done through in-person or virtual instruction. After some practice, ask the person you taught to send you a short (1-3 paragraph) written reflection of their experience.
Take a Picture of the Inside of Your Glove
The photo should only include the interior of the glove and should be taken with the flash on.
Throw These Punches: Jab, Jab, Cross, Hook, Cross, Hook, Aiden Tianchon, Queens, NY. April 2020.
Take a Picture of the Inside of Your Glove, Anonymous, April 2020.