the do nothing machine, 2013 / 2007

live performance with sculpture | 4’ x 3’ x 4’ (sculpture)
2013 duration: 2 days, 8 hours per day | Rosslyn Metro Station in Arlington, VA
2007 duration: 2 hours (duration of exhibition opening) | The Bronx River Art Center, Bronx, NY

A pop-sized version of a folk wood-working toy, the artist operates The Do Nothing Machine throughout the duration of a typical 8am – 6pm workday, stopping only briefly to eat lunch at her performance “desk” and take the occasional bio-break.

The 2013 performance took place at Metro Park in Rosslyn, VA (just outside the Rosslyn metro station), where the artist's actions symbolically mirrored those of the commuters that passed her by on their way to and from their office jobs; with no visible productive “results,” the artist’s labor mirrors the feeling of ennui often experienced by white-collar office workers.

To operate the machine, the artist walks clockwise in slow, calculated steps, engaging the breath and a specific form of head, shoulders, back, and eye position that follows the traditional Zen Buddhism practice of Kinhin, a walking meditation style. In doing so, the artist aims to challenge the notion that even in the most mundane forms of labor, the individual may discover the opportunity to transcend the binds of control and self-modulating power dynamics seemingly inherent to office politics. So often in social situations upon meeting someone new, the first question asked is, “What do you do?” The artist would like to offer the suggestion, “I do nothing,” as a peaceful, non-judgmental, and democratizing response.

As an artwork, The Do Nothing Machine also tests the audience’s patience and limits of amusement as it is a simultaneous denial of performance art’s entertainment value, while a direct quotation of a common contemporary art stereotype, “It doesn’t do anything.”