Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Photography Anya Liftig, covered in peanut butter
Posted by Joeff Davis @joeffly on Tue, Jul 10, 2012 at 1:30 PM
The scent of peanut butter was strong in the air as people gathered along Airline Street near the edge of the Old Fourth Ward. Brooklyn-based performance artist Anya Liftig was preparing to climb an enormous barricade covered in peanut butter while blindfolded and partially bound. At 8:30 p.m., the crowds — some of whom watched from the Edgewood Avenue overpass — began to watch Liftig climbing and moving through the structure over the course of a few hours.
Liftig, whose performance was sponsored by Flux Projects, was kind enough to respond to some e-mail questions about her performance.
How much peanut butter did you use?
We used 1,042 [pounds] of peanut butter. One thousand [pounds] of peanut butter was unfit for human consumption and is the type that is used in pet food, to bait deer, and to feed hogs.
How did you feel the event went?
I was blindfolded the entire time and completely focused on trying to climb the structure. I hope that people had a chance to experience something unusual that they normally would not see every Saturday night, something that gave them pause to think a little differently.
What did it feel like trying to do that for 3 hours?
I went through so many different emotions and feelings. Parts of the structure were really frightening to climb and several times I didn't think I could go a step further. The peanut butter completely kept my skin from breathing. But I could feel the energy and excitement of the audience. I also knew that my technical team had put a great deal of effort into making the structure safe.
Any surprises about how the event went?
I did most of the climb with the blindfold and eyes closed. It was easier to totally shut off my visual sense and focus on what my feet and body were feeling
Do you feel it was successful?
I think that Atlanta is one of the few cities where this type of event could happen. The arts community is so supportive of challenging projects and willing to share their resources. The production quality and safety of the event is a testament to the many people who pitched in and believed in this difficult project.
More photos of Anya Liftig's performance piece after the break
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