Mykki Blanco: Calvin. Lorna. Maura. Bjarne.

Mykki Blanco: Calvin. Lorna. Maura. Bjarne.

"Calvin. Lorna. Maura. Bjarne" is an ever evolving written work by artist & musician Mykki Blanco. Conceived during a writing residency at Hordaland Kunstsenter in Bergen Norway in September and October of 2017, "Calvin. Lorna. Maura. Bjarne" is both a performance art work and the beginning of a novel. The first installment of the work is a 40 minute excerpt from the story recorded as an audio-book and podcast that one can listen to at leisure. Originally performed in front of a live audience Mykki Blanco orates the story in a theatrical fashion reminiscent and inspired by equal parts the late Spalding Gray and William Burroughs. "Calvin. Lorna. Maura. Bjarne" is narrated by Calvin the main character, a thirty something HIV positive African American actor. The story is used in many ways by Blanco to redefine narratives surrounding HIV, giving a contemporary vantage point on the disease that differs greatly from much of the fatalistic rhetoric that still surrounds those living with the condition in the 21st century. "Calvin. Lorna. Maura. Bjarne" is a story about narcissism and self destructive behavior, new age delusion and a millennial take on the timeless search for self.

Mykki Blanco’s podcast was produced whilst on a residency hosted by Hordaland Kunstsenter in the autumn of 2017. The podcast was initially launched as a live performance event by Blanco held at Hordaland Kunstsenter on 27 October, as part of Meteor festival 2017.

The podcast is part of a series also featuring Mårten Spangberg’s “News from the Last of the International Hot Shots / Natten”. These podcasts further Hordaland Kunstsenter’s ongoing exploration of the notions of publicness, institutional presence, and audience using the wide dissemination potential of the medium of podcast to challenge the conventional institutional limitations of presenting and sharing artwork experiences. Furthermore, the project questions how artistic qualities not native to audio - such as live performance, writing, choreography and visuality - can be translated for a sound broadcast concept, and whether the distribution of podcasts might offer a platform to increase the “visibility” of performance art in a contemporary art context in which performance still lacks consistent presentation opportunities outside of live events and video documentation.

Produced by Hordaland Kunstsenter with support from Bergen Kommune and The Norwegian Arts Council.

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