Our Aesthetics Project interweaves sculptures with spoken text and choreography in a performance lecture that explores the mysterious connection between Aesthetics and Intuition. We began this project with a focus on sensory processing, asking: How do aesthetics support (or derail) our processes of self-regulation and self-determination? What causes us to seek out certain forms of stimulation, e.g. hues of color or sensations of texture? How do these inclinations help us draw near to and develop affinity with one another?
We know these questions will not lead us to concrete answers but, rather, more fractals of thought undergirding this project. As we broach the subject of aesthetics, we aim to uplift the importance of Context while also troubling art institutional emphasis on Community Impact. We maintain that sensory autonomy—the ability to honor and explore one’s own sensory needs and desires—is an essential step in naming, refusing, and even subverting, coercive power dynamics that touch every aspect of life. Ultimately, our project gives credence to the ineffable significance of aesthetics in both art and day-to-day existence.
photos by Miguel Zavala and Hannah Krafcik; collage by Hannah Krafcik
July 8 & 9
Saturday and Sunday at 6pm
Performance Works NW
4625 SE 67th Ave.
Portland, OR 97206
PAY WHAT YOU WILL. 100% of the proceeds go to the artists!
photos by Miguel Zavala; collage by Hannah Krafcik 
Photo by Hannah Krafcik, courtesy of Oregon ArtsWatch 
Aesthetics Project work-in-progress showing at SE Cooper Contemporary
Performance Works NW || Linda Austin Dance 