EYES ON THE PRIZE

Eyes on the Prize, Socrates Sculpture Park, New York, 2005.

Sculpture / Performance / Video

This composition of a pair of facing bleachers eliminates the field and focuses instead on the

arena of the fans. Here, the spectators who take their seats to bear witness to a game are

placed in a position to view each other - thereby becoming participants in the event.

A referee follows the format of John Cage’s famous 4”33” - playing out a series of basic

actions that provide a context for other unpredictable occurrences to happen. The actions of

the referee include blowing a whistle and gesturing an official game call following the

designated time intervals of the original Cage piece. Because the actions of the referee do

not respond to any actions on a sports field but rather act independently and simply

following a prescriptive time format, the audience is left to consider to where and whom is

the import of the piece directed.

As the cycle of these orchestrated gestures continue the audience begins to respond by

cheering first for the referee and then eventually for each other. Some audience members

get up to leave unconvinced. The majority of the crowd builds in resonance with chanting,

stomping and “the wave”. In the charged atmosphere, someone eventually throws a cushion

from one side of the bleachers to the other. Quickly cushions beginning flying from both

sides into the air, attacking playfully like an Olympic pillow fight.