DARE ME
a weekend of fearless events
curated by GIANA GAMBINO and DEFIBRILLATOR
FRI JUL 25 & SUN JUL 27 | 2014
- DARE ME @ DFBRL8R
FRI 07.25.14 @ 8PM
featuring
JESSICA BLINKHORN (ATLANTA)
and JOSEPH RAVENS taking dares from the internet and audience.
* SUBMIT A DARE (you must be present in order for it to be performed):
$10 suggested donation. proceeds go toward travel and housing for the visiting artist.
- DARE ME 4 CHARITY
a reality tv show taping
SUN 07.27.14 from 9AM – 3PM
EQUINE DREAMS NEWARK IL (check site for changes www.dareme4charity.com)
yep, it could be made into a reality show! who knows?! but DFBRL8R has a team and our challenge is to jump from a 40 ft. tall lift platform onto a giant airbag – all of course, in DFBRL8R style! injecting performance art into mainstream culture is an ambition at DFBRL8R and this is a great platform. we are not doing this to make 
money for ourselves. we simply want the attention. so, IF we were to win, we will be donating the money to ACCESS LIVING: ARTS & CULTURE PROJECT, who raise awareness around disability arts through events, exhibitions, and a permanent collection.
provocative artist JESSICA BLINKHORN is a fiercely independent spirit inside a dependent body. she lives large, rolls hard, and won’t let her declining mobility stop her. diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy as an infant, JESSICA took her last steps at three years old. in an effort to understand her declining mobility JESSICA began drawing about her bodies growing immobility. her family recognized her ability at a very young age, and have always encouraged her artistic talent.
JESSICA BLINKHORN RP14
with assistance by JESSICA BORTMAN
photo by SANDRINE SCHAEFER
today – even as she loses her ability to draw — JESSICA keeps finding ways to create. her practice now involves fearless and sometimes confrontational performance art exploring life and sexuality among those who are differently abled, and the fear and curiosity that society holds for them.
presently, BLINKHORN is an adjunct instructor of painting and drawing at GEORGIA PERIMETER COLLEGE-DUNWOODY and a recipient of the ARTISTS’ FELLOWSHIP INC grant. she frequently collaborates with ALEX CLARK, who she refers to as her “conceptual soundboard, creative partner, the muscle of the operation, and my loving gimp wrangler!“
“I try not to focus on the future because when people focus too much on the future, they forget to live. Instead, I choose to focus on creating – for each day I am creative is another day I have lived.”
– JESSICA BLINKHORN
in, ASSISTANCE, her CHICAGO performance at RAPID PULSE 2014, JESSICA staged a fraction of her daily routine and asked the audience members for their assistance with completing tasks often viewed as mundane. in doing so she confronted her own issues with her physical needs, created a social commentary on independency through the dependency of caregivers, vulnerability, and intimacy. Indirectly, her intention was for the audience to question their level of comfort; their ability to do for others in spite of physical boundaries; and to question why they were not willing to assist during a time of need. oftentimes, JESSICA will mix humor with her performances to reflect the lighter side of any situation in life and to make the dominant concept more formidable.
jessicaelaineblinkhorn.weebly.com | thebadassproject.com | groundedbyreality.com
NOTE: jessica has some great video interviews and a documentary: jessicaelaineblinkhorn.weebly.com/video-links.html
JOSEPH RAVENS “sweet release”
photo by ALAN ROVGE
JOSEPH RAVENS studied audiovisuals at the GERRIT RIETVELD ACADEMIE in AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS, and is a graduate of THE SCHOOL of the ART INSTITUTE of CHICAGO with a masters of fine art in performance. he is a recipient of the ILLINOIS ARTS COUNCIL FELLOWSHIP for performance art, and the ILLINOIS ARTS COUNCIL FELLOWSHIP for new performance forms, as well as other grants and awards that have allowed him to build an international reputation. Ii 2013, RAVENS was included in the 20th BIENAL INTERNACIONAL de CURITIBA, BRAZIL; in 2012 he was invited to participate in VENICE INTERNATIONAL PERFORMANCE ART WEEK, ITALY; and in 2008 he was selected to be part of INTRUDE: ART and Life 366 at ZENDAI MOMA, SHANGHAI, CHINA.
RAVENS’ performance, DOUBLE DARE ME, takes a look at sacrifice. what would you do for the thing you love? as founder and director of DFBRL8R, JOSEPH maintains a fearless approach to curation (and life) that has him frequently flirting with risk and confronting the impossible. embracing perseverance and an almost monastic lifestyle, he often asks himself, “what would i do or not do for the gallery.” this performance is research into that question.
DARE ME 4 CHARITY TEAM
JOSEPH RAVENS | ADAM FREDERICK | AMANDA MCELROY | ALEX CLARK | DARLING SHEAR | CHRISTIAN CRUZ | JOHN BURKHOLDER | DASHA FILIPPOVA
we LOVE the idea of doing fearless and crazy stunts in order to raise money for charity! injecting performance art into mainstream culture is an ambition at DFBRL8R and this is a great platform. we are not doing this to make money for ourselves. it may look as if we are the charity, but we are not. we simply want the attention. so, IF we were to win, we will be donating the money to a CHICAGO organization that works with art and disability. we do want the exposure and publicity that this project has the potential to garner. if it ever makes it to the stage of REALITY TV, we want to be the team they use! we’re out to WIN!
SUN 07.27.14 from 9AM – 3PM
EQUINE DREAMS NEWARK IL check site for changes www.dareme4charity.com
MAIN WEBSITE: www.dareme4charity.com/campaign/abouttheshow
D4C (NATIONAL) FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/daremeforcharity
D4C CHICAGO FACEBOOK:
www.facebook.com/events/504983239586985/permalink/541063959312246/
OUR PAGE: dareme4charity.com/campaign/720
