TRINITY @ The Suburban Milwaukee

Camp Refusenik

When we were younger my sister and I quite enjoyed horsing around in our back yard, with a bunch of friends from up and down the road. We would tie our blonde hair into a ponytail and put a loop of twine in our mouth. A chimeric equipage, horse and rider both, we were still kids about to learn the facts of life. It was around that same time my dad, the doctor, pulled me aside to inform me that although he considered himself a cultural Christian he did not believe in an afterlife and had no faith in an interventionist God.

Refuseniks on the Farm

One night, I fell in love with a real stallion. He was incredibly handsome and kind. We would communicate telepathically, by putting our foreheads together. He could read my mind like nobody’s business. It was a mind fuck; genius brainchildren would emerge from our brow fully formed. When I discovered I was pregnant I was elated, although a little concerned what my husband might think, when junior was born a centaur. I decided to jump that fence when I got to it and woke up in a state of bliss.

Refuseniks on the Beach

Escape from Dead Horse Gulch (audio)

Refuseniks in the Wild

Refuseniks

A Refusenik is a portable and wearable TAZ (temporary autonomous zone) designed to remove/distance oneself from the (political) situation at hand. They can be displayed as banners or worn by an individual, a couple, or a collective body. Put it on and just say no. The design is inspired by a pantomime horse, part jockey shirt and part horse blanket, as well as heraldic patters from the middle ages and the willfully “unflattering” silhouette of (uncorseted) reform dresses. The first 11 Refuseniks were created during the residency “Body as Site” at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, which coincided with the inauguration of the 45th American presidency, and were developed as a survival blanket strategy for the next four years.