Body transformation! An epic, edgy, DIY performance on the NYC Hudson River!

The Living Installation: Art Couple on the Pier

Saturday, August 28,  6-8pm | Also Available to Stream Online

At Pier 45 inside Hudson River Park | Enter at Christopher St. & West Side Highway   

Donation-based: Suggested $40 or pay what you can | Donate with PayPal button or venmo @Michael-Alan-5

What to Know When You Watch or Before You Go: A Primer on the Movers Behind The Living Installation

Scott Stiffler, for Chelsea Community News (CCNews): Tell us a little bit about the yourselves–as a couple, and as individuals.

Michael Alan Alien: (Michael): Jadda Cat and I are an NYC Village art couple. We draw, play, and paint together, create photos, take care of my mom, make painted and silk-screened clothing, masks and puppets, and perform as a team. Our performance is called The Living Installation, an ongoing project that originated over twenty years ago. Every day it’s different.

I’m a born and raised native New Yorker and have been making art since I was a kid. I started out in the club scene putting on events, shows for others and gradually started showing my own art in galleries—and eventually, shows in Chelsea. I love to incorporate the energy of the city in my work and am constantly out working, painting and picking up on the vibes in the streets, the parks, the train all over anywhere. I draw wherever I go. Art and life are inseparable. I also make outsider music. I’ve worked with a wide range of artists to create the sounds that are a big part of our shows. Mainly I am Alien. I blur the line with what society finds normal. I believe in pushing the lines of the unexpected.

My partner, Jadda Cat, is an amazing performance artist, with a true talent that radiates through her soul. She has a unique perspective and sensibility that she is able to project into her performances that really resonate with anyone that sees them. She develops props and costumes with me, is a pro at running the production aspects of the show, and has been able to take The Living Installation to the next level.

CCNews: How did you book the gig at this particular venue, and what makes it particularly appropriate for the performance?

Michael: The waterfront location and the scheduled time from daylight to sunset coincide with the evolving energy of The Living Installation project. We chose the outdoors as opposed to an indoor location to allow a live, in-person audience safely during this pandemic. We wanted to provide people with something to do outdoors that would get their creative vibes flowing. The end of the pier is serene, low key and doesn’t get crowded. People can come relax, watch the performance, sketch, meet up with friends. There is a beautiful view across the Hudson River to Queens. It’s like stepping out of NYC, yet it’s right there in NYC. There is a tented area built into the park to protect in case of rain.

CCNews: The event is available, live, and online. Will it be archived and accessible after the fact? If so, when?

Michael: Yes, the performance will be streamed live. Viewers can sign up on our website www.michaelalanart.com/thelivinginstallation to have access to view. They can either watch live or they can watch and rewatch it afterward for one month.

CCNews: With performance and gallery venues closed during the pandemic, many artists made the move to digital, gaining new audiences and remaining prolific. What impact, if any, did this online era have on your work and creative drive?

Michael: The pandemic pushed me to go out to explore and connect with my city more than anything digital. With all the closings and loss I tried to fill the gap with artwork for people in the city and make real face-to-face connections, (although mostly masked and from a distance.) Jadda and I would bring art-making out on the street, painting on the easel, or dressed in full costume. We’ve embraced the digital era by growing our skills, documenting our adventures, and sharing on different platforms to reach more people by sending texts of images to friends who were sad and trying to lift spirits, You never know who or where your art can impact someone around the world. We had been live-streaming our performances for years before the pandemic, so that didn’t make much of a change. A lot of people looked to us in the hope that New York will keep going, as The Living Installation keeps on, from photo shoots, daily fun to full on shows.

CCNews: Is digital performance/exhibition here to stay, offered alongside live performance? What are the good and bad implications of this approach?

Michael: Yes, our livestream performances have been loved by our following for years as a unique, intimate experience, especially since the safety of indoor gatherings in the future is unclear. It’s an ideal alternative to in-person performance. There is the incredible ease of viewing artwork right from your home, or wherever you might be when you zone into your screen.  A lot of people don’t have time to make it out in person or live far away. It allows anyone and everyone with an Internet connection to see our work. We will continue our performances live in the city as much as possible, whether an audience can gather or not. This allows more people to view work, and give options in a world where people are consumed.

CCNews: From the press material, it sounds like a physically grueling performance. How do you sustain yourselves, physically, to remain capable throughout?

Michael: Jadda and I live and breathe the artwork so we naturally find ourselves “practicing” a new idea, pushing our ideas further. We both suffer from spinal injuries, and I have several other injuries throughout my body, so we learn how we’re able to perform around these physical restrictions. The constant art-making lifestyle builds up our endurance. We try to promote disability awareness! Life is short. Live now!

CCNews: The promo poster references “Old NYC” as the spirit of the work. What does “Old NYC” evoke for you, based on having lived through that era? What can we learn from that era?

Michael: Old NYC is about the fight for freedom, color, expression, and feeling. There wasn’t a need to be a fad or repeat. Everything was fresh, vibrant, and spontaneous. That time period was wild, evocative, and exploratory. The performances we do are really not planned to the T. A lot is on the fly, constantly changing and evolving. Each piece evolves the D.I.Y. spirit of old New York. Some key musicians from this era have collaborated on the music. The performance changes minute-to-minute, just as life, celebrating body positivity and questions what is expected.

On Saturday we will combine, recombine, mesh and transform our bodies and elaborate art costumes into thrilling, pulsing, organic combinations! Watch us as we transform into otherworldly, unreal, living human sculptures! We use everything we’ve got, handcrafted art props, found objects, puppetry, and a custom-made sonic creation by our band Michael Alan Alien (on Bandcamp) with songs made with the late Tommy Ramone, Tim Love Lee, The Residents, Jello Biafra, Arron Dilloway, MF Grimm, and Mike’s parents.

It’s going to be a true performance art extravaganza!  We feel that it’s important to maintain the energy of the spirit of community in New York. We are still in troubled times and we need to come together to celebrate art, creativity, and love. Our goal is to stretch the boundaries of what’s possible and share our energy with everyone. This is no easy feat for us as we have a full life, but feel it’s super important to raise the flag!

Feel free to follow us on IG @michaelalanalien @thelivinginstallation and shoot us a DM. My website is www.michaelalanart.com. Facebook is Michael Alan.

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