JOHN W. LOVE, JR. | DURATION: 40 MINUTES
Airdate: August 13, 2017
John W. Love, Jr. is a surreal apparition of a being who creates multi-sensory experiences that invite participants into a world of Yes. He is an interdisciplinary literary and performance artist. His work is as 'deliciously complex, circuitous, textual, and contextual as his own nappy hair.' He tells stories that are earthen and fantastical. His installations delight and confound. He smears boundaries because 'definitions all fit like a fat man in a toddler's big girl dress.' John is a poet, an actor, a dancer, a sculptor, a director and a teller of tales. In his stories characters burn blue. He is a recipient of the Arts & Sciences McColl Award in recognition of artistic excellence and a Rasmuson Foundation Individual Artist residency. He is a North Carolina Artist Council Fellow and a Guggenheim Foundation Fellow. His work had brought him to places around the world.
This episode is perfect for anyone interested in the life-affirming funkiness of a daring interdisciplinary mind and the intentions and expressions of a love warrior mystical being.
IN THIS EPISODE
John shares the beautifully absurd and the wonderfully ridiculous nature of defining himself and his objection to lines of demarcation.
He discusses the elements that make up his art and the influences of his meditative practice on his performances and installations.
He describes the role salt played in one of his signature performances and the return of all things to the Source.
John talks about several of his characters from Neequa or She Who Would be King to Roscoe 'The Eggplant' Takimoto to The Perpetually Pregnant Man.
He explains the world of Yes, the correct posture for living, and when 'no' is appropriate.
John talks about how much of his art is flirtation, how much is consummation, and the sensuality of his work.
He reflects on the rewards and constraints of fellowships and recognitions, the yumminess of his applications, and what he refuses to do as an artist seeking support.
John reads a poem of his called 'Early Morning Ritual,' and shares the temperature of his mind, what makes him cry, and the sexiest tool in his arsenal.
plus Mark's Personal Word Essay: A Moment of Stage Fright
To Learn More About John
Questions
What struck you about John's comments?
Are there characters that you inhabit?
What is the power of what you do?
How do you say yes?
We invite your posts on our Facebook page.
This episode is sponsored by Blumenthal Performing Arts, celebrating its 25th year presenting the best in performing arts.
