Buttons. Monday, September 4. 2023.

 

 

Buttons. Monday, September 4. 2023.

What is the moral responsibility of the artist? With balding pate, white goatee, and mischievous mien, Sung Neung Kyung is sitting in his studio in Seoul, South Korea, looking back half a century to the country’s authoritarian regime and wondering whether, as a radical young artist, he made a difference.

“I have to say, thinking back to my artistic practice then from the luxury of hindsight, I feel that my activities at the time were not political enough,” he says on a Zoom call. “I feel that I was carrying the voice of a mosquito. It was just so small, and because of that, I am ashamed.”  (The Guardian Newspaper.)

As a First-of-May, I tried to be political with my clowning (which I now see was always performance art first and comedy second) at Ringling Brothers. When the show played Chicago, I made up like Hitler and began goose-stepping out into the arena to salute then-mayor Richard Daly because I considered him a fascist. Performance Director Charlie Baumann grabbed me before I could “Sieg Heil” hizzoner and literally carried me under his arm backstage. Where I got a terrific dressing down.

My comedic voice has been that of a mosquito, like Sung Neung Kyung’s, but I have not felt ashamed about it. Having been denied a national or international forum for my shenanigans, I now find profound contentment and fulfillment in displaying my japes locally here in Provo. 

I got rained out this morning at Hruska’s Kolaches at 8:30 without making any money or getting any kolaches.

But today, I had an ace up my sleeve. With Amy’s help yesterday, I printed out a notice in both English and Spanish that read:

We are serving a free helping of homemade Tuscan turkey/spinach loaf, along with a side of brown rice, on Labor Day, Monday, September 4. Promptly at Noon. With Amy’s amazing cookies for dessert.

To receive your free serving, you must bring us a button; any button will do. 

Tim & Amy Torkildson. Apartment #115. Valley Villa.

Lunes. 4 de septiembre. 2023. Estamos sirviendo una porción gratis de pan casero de pavo / espinacas de la Toscana, junto con un lado de arroz integral en el Día del Trabajo, el lunes 4 de septiembre. Puntualmente a las 12 del mediodía. Con las increíbles galletas de Amy para el postre. Para recibir su porción gratis, debe traernos un botón; Cualquier tipo de botón servirá. Tim y Amy Torkildson. Apartamento #115. Villa del Valle.Monday. September 4. 2023.

Yesterday, we put this notice on door knobs and under windshield wipers in the parking lot. And today, we reaped a total of 11 people at our door, all with buttons and all dying to know what we would do with the buttons. “Ask me no questions, and I’ll tell you no lies,” was my reply to each.

The truth is I never had any intention of doing anything with the buttons. Would people show up for a free meal in exchange for a button? They did. So that was my work as a performance artist today.

The weather is still moist and gray this afternoon, so I’ll not be going out again. Instead, I’m warming up some cold spaghetti with a can of smoked mussels for my lunch. Then, write a haiku for tomorrow. The forecast calls for clear skies and cool temperatures for the rest of the week. Perfect weather to dress up as Hitler again . . .