rigorously, playfully, interrogating ideas with guest artists who work through dance, choreography, composition, performance, music ++ Est. 2013. Please hit the subscribe button below!
Author: TheMattmosphere
Matt Cornell is based in the Asia-Pacific region and grew up in Darwin, on Larrakia land. He works through dance, choreography, sound, photography, and discussion to question the arbitrary configuration of systems, and is passionate about overcoming cognitive bias... to ask better questions… to dissolve malignant social narratives.
We talk about works and working and the impact of the context and relationships surrounding ones efforts.
note: there is sometimes a noisy background (children crying etc) which has been intentionally left in place because of the way it refreshingly undermines our own self-importance and highlights the abstract and conceptual nature of our discourse.
“the process of working is the process of unveiling something that is already there” Pavol Liska
Nature Theater of Oklahoma directors Kelly Copper and Pavol Liska talk to artists, curators and people around the world as well as making work, being revolutionary and following their desires to ride loud motorbikes through the streets of New York! Their podcast OK Radio (iTunes link) was part of the inspiration to begin Wombat Radio.
“all i know is what art had done to me” Pavol Liska
“you have to start with faith” – Pavol Liska
“it’s still a way to feel connected to people” Kelly Copper
we talk about:
what is what i’m doing, doing to me and to the world
self medication
success and struggle
finding joy vs enjoying the pain
community
not following in your own crisis
only worrying about doing the work well
the point of diminishing returns
“what does religion do? nothing!” like art – Pavol Liska
the power of exposure
“I grew up in communism and believed in one thing whole heartedly and then the revolution came and the next day i believed something else just as wholeheartedly” Pavol Liska
living in a relative state of mind
philosophy being in vogue
everyone having questions
living with absolute statements vs relative truths
“It’s hard to (use art to) provoke when they must put a warning outside the theatre about anything that might provoke you” – Kelly Copper
the artist feeling that they need to reassure the audience that they are on the side of the angels
artistic pornography
“trick the audience into coming there and then staying there” – Pavol Liska
pandering vs elitism
flirting with trouble
conduct
“I have got in trouble for things, that I did not believe was wrong” – Pavol Liska
invitation, provocation, and boundaries
having access to embody anyone, hitler or jesus. molesters or angels
giving up on absolutes
“I couldn’t call myself a good guy, I know myself too well” – Pavol Liska
never intending harm
“I hate that there are things (politically that) we can’t touch” – Kelly Copper
“I don’t know any other way to fix it than to keep making work” – Pavol Liska