Interview with KARNEJ and Stevie Kincheloe: Gestura 1 & 1.2

In this episode, we meet in Los Angeles with KARNEJ and Stevie Kincheloe regarding the inauguration of Gestura1 (2/16/23) and 1.2 (2/18/2023) and to untangle the curious web of what and how the experience came about. Was it a performance? Maybe but not; instead, from my point of view, it was something between a birth and exorcism (without the evil spirits.) We unpack the mystery of both events and share our experiences which touch on elements of intention, improvisation, actuality, sacred space, object-hood, primal states, realms of spirituality, and altered consciousness. 

However, during the event, the outcome was uniquely different. Each held a certain amount of rehearsal time, but long-lead lines were left for interpretation at the designated date. Gestura is a series of monthly performances encompassing sound, words, objects, movement, and artificial intelligence components. The series seeks to make visible the importance of gesture in play, gestura1 is a scenario contrived by KARNEJ with the help of dancer/interpreter Stevie Kincheloe. During gestura 1 and 1.2, both collaborated with movement-tracking body sensors, modular electronics, and A.I. text transcribers to create a spoken word piece consisting of triggered vocalized words/phrases. 

During this talk, we grapple with the facts, carefully examining each event's physical and psychological landscape. We listen carefully, honoring various perspectives and aspects of non-authorship. I tap into their flow, and what is revealed is an intriguing discussion exploring thing-hood, collective consciousness, and variables of existence and spirituality. I share the panic I felt within the space, as I didn't know where to go in my mind or what to perceive. I was glitching. I challenged them to understand my side of the experience as a spectator.

"The gestures of both participants and the curation/editing of the vocal recordings used are the sole content of the work while the flows of context ignited after that generate its form. The result is an oracular stream of implied meaningfulness, juxtapositions of narrative with flickering, glitching vocalizations. But what's important is not the result but the possibilities catalyzed by the process as a whole— gestura2 (03/30/23) will include the participation of those attending in its process and performance, making the series an interactive collaboration by way of the machine."

We are reminded KARNEJ is the origin point of various media instigations. In the past, these have taken the form and appearance of visual art, poetry, and sound/music in galleries and performance spaces in the U.S. (MX Gallery, Filosofi Arts, Interstate Projects, P.S. 1 and WFMU, Montez Press Radio in N.Y.) and abroad (performances in Centro de Cultura Digital, Centro Cultural de España in Mexico City and Berlin, Madrid, Barcelona and Vigo, Spain).

Also, KARNEJ is a dwelling. A something and somewhere resisting authorship through faith in personal and collective codes. It prioritizes communion between different modes through chance encounters where the experience of rupture can emerge. The gestura series continues on the third Thursday of every month in EL NIDO.

An interdisciplinary artist, Stevie Kincheloe, understands movement as a conversation between the physical and metaphysical planes. What began as a path to opening that notoriously elusive portal of inspiration, her movement meditations are becoming their own medium. A dismantling of the masks and false faces we show to the world, the intuitive moment is channeling the raw expression of the truth, moment to moment.

Visit the webpage to learn more: https://www.vcprojects.art/karnej-gestura1