Ever wonder what it is like to suddenly experience a new culture and not understand the language, customs, products, or food? Artist and CADVC graduate research assistant, Victor Torres, invites you to his mock design agency, where products are developed and marketed, but for a fictitious civilization created by the artist through his research around culture and the origins of language. Get ready for some fun as you explore a world that seems almost familiar...but not quite.
On May 31st, 2014 Torres will curate local performance artists Hoesy Corona, Sarah Tooley, Kata Frederick, and others to transform the temporarily unoccupied space at 3320 Eastern Avenue into an all-immersive art installation. Guests are invited to explore this fictitious design agency as both passersby and as interactive participants inside the world of this newly created culture.
“Highlandtown has historically been the point of entry for many immigrants who arrived in Baltimore for its proximity to the port. For this reason, Highlandtown has a reputation for being one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Baltimore City. There really isn’t a better place to talk about displacement, and the parameters of what makes something foreign.” -- Victor Torres
This event was made possible in partnership between Highlandtown Main Street, a program of the Southeast CDC, Highlandtown Arts District and UMBC’s Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture (CADVC) to promote arts and performance to showcase the potential of unoccupied storefronts along Eastern Avenue in Highlandtown’s Main Street district.
Hours and Location:
Saturday, May 31st
3-5pm
3320 Eastern Ave., Baltimore, MD 21224
(Located on the northwest corner of Highland and Eastern Avenues in the former Horton’s House of Tuxedos location.)
Victor F. de M. Torres
Victor F. de M. Torres is an interdisciplinary, multimedia, performance artist born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is currently a research assistant and MFA candidate at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Victor Torres has a bachelor’s of arts in Socio-cultural Anthropology. His work is concerned with the construction of ‘common sense’ and parameters of the ‘foreign,’ focusing primarily on the derivation, creation, and dissemination of meaning prior to social agreement. He is an organizer of Glitter Thighs among other projects such as Rooms Fall Apart and Transmodern.
UMBC’s Center for Arts Design and Visual Culture (CADVC)
CADVC is a non-profit organization dedicated to organizing comprehensive exhibitions, the publication of catalogs, CDs, DVDs, and books on the arts, and educational and community outreach projects. The Center's programs serve as a forum for exploring the social and aesthetic issues of the day. The Center is committed to rethinking the relationship between art institutions and the public, offering extensive educational outreach initiatives and public programs, often in partnership with a variety of educational and cultural institutions.
HIGHLANDTOWN A&E DISTRICT (ha!):
ha! is the largest Arts & Entertainment District in the state, ha! encompasses Highlandtown, Patterson Park, and portions of Canton and Greektown. ha! offers artists the opportunity to live and work in one of the most culturally diverse neighborhoods in the city. ha! boasts Southeast’s largest collection of retail and industrial spaces, along with affordable housing and a convenient location, easily accessible from I-95, I- 895, Fells Point and Downtown. ha! is home of the Creative Alliance at The Patterson, the Southeast Anchor Library, several galleries, artist studios, and retail shops with a variety of activities happening year round including the Halloween Lantern Parade, the Highlandtown Farmer's Market, Annual Artist Studio Tours, Sculpture in the Park, the Highlandtown Wine Festival, and the Highlandtown Basement Bar Tour.
Southeast Community Development Corporation (SECDC):
SECDC is the oldest community development corporation in Baltimore City operating a premier housing counseling program and a unique combination of private and public programs that focus on the revitalization of Southeast Baltimore. SECDC stimulates investment, improves public spaces, promotes homeownership and improves quality of life in select neighborhoods. Southeast CDC is the coordinator of Highlandtown Main Street and Highlandtown Arts & Entertainment District.