Control≈Center

Artists Noelle Choy and Adams Puryear explore speculations of humanity’s precarious future with the collaborative exhibition Control≈Center.  Bad Seed’s 400-square foot space visualizes the idea of the “people in charge” operating a control center from their doomsday bunker, visualized through painting, video, performance and sculpture.  Created is a cinematic interpretation of “end of times” which is critical in our continued political, social, and environmental disparities. The multifaceted installation will be on view through the month of April 2024 at the mixed-use space in the Crossroads Arts District in Kansas City, MO.

The single largest component is a papier-mâché 20 ft x 30ft L-shaped sculpture inspired by consoles in science-fiction films such as the Alien movies.  Embedded into the structure are screens playing mundane video clips, ceramic objects mimicking control panels, personal items, and other detritus that may be nearby a monitoring system.  Throughout is a series of large scale paintings of graphs attempting to organize information in preparation for the ‘end of the world’, a 4-ft ceramic guard dog, and a compilation video of several billionaires discussing doomsday bunkers inspired by post-apocalyptic movies.  Predominantly featured are costumes to be used in a performative group procession.

The procession will take place opening night April 5, assisted by many individuals in the arts community such as students, fellow artists, and the general public, all led by members of local improvisational musical groups EMAS and street parade brass band Sass-a-Brass. Manifesting the cyclical shared anxiety running through the exhibition, in reflection of the world at this point in time, there will be a long snake puppet carried by a line of participants. The procession will begin in the gallery, walk a defined route and end back in the gallery space culminating into an ouroboros, or the snake eating its own tail. The opening event will be a ceremonial testament to mythology creating itself in real time.

Control≈Center presents an absurdist installation for the end of the world with a free opening performance and closing poetry reading. The audience can examine their thoughts in a curious setting that mirrors the intensity of the internet, media, and popular culture. Preparing for the inevitable end when society tries to control and skew possible outcomes, the only constant is our humanness.