NOW FUNDING: For Us, By Us, Eat Us, Save Us
This Philly Fringe bound immersive exhibition explores the exploitation of black art
“Lose yourself in the world of Jefferson Huxley, the greatest artist you’ve never heard of.”
So opens the pitch for For Us, By Us, Eat Us, Save Us, the Philadelphia Fringe-bound immersive exhibition that “challenges gallery etiquette by crossing boundaries and unlocking doors, leading to an interactive underbelly hiding behind the pristine white wall of your favorite gallery. Visitors delve deep by inching closer to unraveling the enigmatic truth about Jefferson Huxley and the message of his work. This immersive exhibition explores the exploitation of black art while inviting the audience to engage with and inevitably influence the art they came to see.”
The production’s Kickstarter campaign has cleared its $5k initial goal and is now headed towards its stretch goal of $10k to purchase video software that will allow the production to be remounted in the future.
We checked in with creator Taj Rauch about the campaign which runs through August 31st for the experience which opens September 4th.
This is No Proscenium’s NOW FUNDING, a look at immersive experiences & events currently crowdfunding. To learn more about how your event could be considered for the feature check out How To Get Covered By NoPro.
NO PROSCENIUM: Tell us a little bit about this planned experience. What’s it about? What makes it immersive?
Taj Rauch: For Us, By Us, Eat Us, Save Us is an immersive exhibition by the greatest artist you’ve never heard of, Jefferson Huxley. Situated at the crossroads of artificial intelligence, black art and blackness itself, FUBUEUSU encourages audiences to challenge everything they know about gallery etiquette. Every norm subverted and risk taken helps participants unravel an interactive underbelly, inching them closer to shedding light on the enigma that is Jefferson Huxley.
NP: What is the inspiration for your upcoming experience?
TR: The project is inspired by trips to modern art museums spent gazing frustratedly at blank canvases, having my attention drawn more to the often elderly black security guards in conversation than by the surrounding, often rich white, art. The idea was birthed from the hopes to create an exhibition that turns traditional gallery etiquette on its head, rewarding unorthodox behavior with strong storytelling, requiring risk to be explored.
NP: What do you think fans of immersive will find most interesting about this upcoming experience?
TR: I have always been fascinated with world-building, and I think the most exciting worlds are the ones that respond to our actions. When an environment changes based on how I act, it makes me feel like an inhabitant instead of a viewer. So with our show, I look forward to seeing faces light up when they realize their choices matter.
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The tough part, though, is designing a playthrough that is satisfying for any type of inhabitant, which has driven me to ground the show in two audience tracks: Visitors and Patrons. Visitors explore the world freely, with the attention on them, while Patrons operate behind the scenes, observing and manipulating the environment from an exclusive vantage point.
NP: Have you crowdfunded before? If so, is there anything different about your experience (or expectations) this time?
TR: This is actually my first time crowdfunding, so seeing the public respond so positively to our project has really motivated and affirmed my team and I’s ambitions. A lot of us are alumni from The University of the Arts, which closed out of nowhere just a couple months ago. It left professors like myself without a job for the fall, and even a member of our team without the chance to graduate.
But the thing about Philly is we show up for each other. Even in the wake of multiple art institutions closing just this year, the response from the community toward this project and the support for others like it has reminded me why I call this city home. Through the turbulence, I’m excited to see what projects, movements and schools of thought are born.
NP: What are some of the perks on offer for backers?
TR: When I think of immersive gaming, my favorite type of rewards are the ones driven by lore. This has motivated me to make two kinds of rewards that act as pieces of lore to the world of FUBUEUSU. The first is a BL4CK C4RD: lightweight, with a smooth matte finish, each of these cards contains one of 5 digital experiences I’ve designed that are accessible by simply tapping it to any smart phone. The second is an Art Zine: Inside are digital renderings, redacted documents, photography of the process, designs from the set, and embedded experiences you can scan from the page using your phone. Opening the zine feels like flipping through the rise of the internet.
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