Future Present
This March we’re inquiring within as three artists tell us fortunes for an unknown future. Join us for this Fieldwork Session as we journey with Erin Wilson (AFF ’13–’15), Dario Robleto (AIR ’14), and Chris Woebken (AIR ’15), through themes of the future—however fantastic or foreboding—and hear how the ticking of time influences and intrigues their studio practices. Sessions will be held in the Officer’s Club and Project Space; snacks, beverages, and inspired company provided!
Series takes place over three consecutive Tuesdays. Register for one, two, or all three nights!
Schedule of Activities
March 10–Session 1, Erin Wilson: Current Affiliate Artist, writer, beloved Sausalito librarian, and French toast sage Erin Wilson (AFF ‘13–’15) will read from her humorous and harrowing autobiographical essay on breakfast food fortune telling, and will guide in its practical application as we fire up the griddle and our inner oracles. Gather together in the Officer’s Club and dish up for a peer-to-peer French toast reading that results in a personalized prescription for the future, made manifest by the consumption of the divining object. Although the Wilson family’s “toastomancy” has a questionable history, readings have yielded surprisingly accurate results to its many earnest followers, foretelling legible (and delicious) metaphors for life’s triumphs and challenges. Toast and toppings will be provided.
March 17–Session 2, Dario Robleto: Remixing an evening of storytelling and sound, multimedia artist Dario Robleto (AIR ’14) will speak to the creative process for his two most recent projects, The Pulse Armed With a Pen and Setlists for a Setting Sun. Commissioned by Headlands in 2014, Setlists for a Setting Sun includes an assembly of sculptural installations that weave together topics as diverse as the earliest attempts to record the heartbeat, the story of space exploration, pre-Edison sound records, and the history of the artificial heart. As Robleto shares these gracefully intertwined histories of human exploration—in both outer and inner space—he will also play several rare recordings, some of which are from the Golden Record, an album sent on the 1977 Voyager spacecraft as a synopsis of the human experience. Grab a seat and some snacks, and tune in for Robleto’s aspirational projection from our contemporary time.
March 24–Session 3, Chris Woebken: Head up to current Artist in Residence Chris Woebken’s (AIR ’15) Project Space studio to delve into the crucial role the imagination plays in prototyping possible futures. After presenting the work he has done collaborating with scientists, organizations, and artists, including the work by The Extrapolation Factory, Woebken will lead the group through a series of idiosyncratic—and perhaps even a bit absurd—prompts to produce a large-scale exquisite corpse. Originally created by the Surrealists as a parlor game to reveal the secrets of the subconscious, the exquisite corpses created with Woebken will be no less revelatory, illustrating the ways in which our imagination is critical to our success in developing new inventions and devices that enchant and enhance the dialogue for how our futures might look.
About Fieldwork Sessions
Fieldwork Sessions are inspired by the resources of Headlands’ dynamic artist community, unique site, and the surrounding landscape. Whether you’re a practicing artist looking for deep engagement with your work, a creative thrill-seeker looking to get your hands dirty, or an arts appreciator looking to learn more about the creative process, Fieldwork Sessions (ranging from a one day activity to a three week series) are led by multidisciplinary presenters and are designed to send participants home with the skills, objects, and relationships born of their experience.
All Fieldwork Sessions participants must be 18 or older.