I have a kickstarter to raise funds for my next Advice Tent. The kickstarter ends on Tuesday June 6th, 2017.
The Advice Tent
In preparation for the largest performance I've ever put together (yet) I got this haircut:
photo: Sara Risley
photo:Dominic Inouye
On August 27th and 28th over a period of two 10-hour long sessions 423 individual questions were posed to the 26 experts waiting inside “The Advice Tent." Some questions posed to the experts included serious questions such as, “Am I on the right path?” or “How can we be more merciful to the environment?” to vague: “What’s next?” and the ridiculous: “Should I purchase an inflatable unicorn horn for the cats?” Scroll all the way to the bottom of this post to see pictures of the advice given for that last question.
photo: Bill Sieger
photo: Martin Hallanger
photo: Bill Sieger
Participants seeking advice had to observe the rules of The Advice Tent:
- Because everything is anonymous to protect your privacy, you will be assigned a number.
- Select one problem and write it in a clear manner on the cover of your issued passport.
- Go around to whomever you want in the tent and show them your written problem, but verbal talking between advisor and seeker is incredibly forbidden.
photo: Bill Sieger
Volunteers at the entrance would help participants select one question to receive advice on. The question would then be written down on the cover of each participants issued "advice passport" so they could show their question to each advisor without breaking the "no talking in the tent" rule.
photo:Bill Sieger
The Advice Tent offered:
Dictionary Advice by Anja (me)
photo: Anna F. Brown
Advice seekers would choose a random word in the dictionary that I would then have to describe and defend as the literal answer to their inquiry.
Metaphorical Advice by Freesia McKee
While participants waited for their metaphorical advice they could mess with Freesia's Etch-a-Sketch.
photo: Bethany Price
Yoga Therapy Advice by Heidi Parkes
Certified Yoga Therapy Practitioner Heidi Parkes would tell you how to use ghee to fix your situation. photo: Dominic Inouye
Fashion/Alien/Voyeuristic Advice by Blasted Ellipses
Blasted Ellipses would give you fashion advice from the perspective of a space alien with a penchant for being voyeuristic.
Slap of Reality Advice by Reality Slapstein
All participants would receive a written slap of reality as well as a very real hand slap.
Contradictory Advice by Contra/Diction
Contra and Diction would converse behind their curtain, but never actually agree as to what you should do. Photo: Stephanie Weidenhoeft
photo: Martin Hallanger
Sporty Advice by Jock Strap
In between sentences he would lift weights or do push-ups. Photo: Martin Hallanger
Colored Advice by Dasha Kelly, "D'Comma Sense"
She burned incense and prescribed you a color. photo: Tiffany Miller
Sunny Side Up Healthy Ass Life Advice by Ms. Bloom
Healthy Ass Life Coach Tiffany Miller would write sunny side up advice on yellow paper.
Nihilistic Advice by Nadia
She consistently made her point that there is no point. photo: Stephanie Wiedenhoeft
Ethical Advice by the Honorable Fuega, Nature Witch:
Culinary Advice by Monique Gastrique
Monique Gastrique wrote many recipes for success both days. Photo: Jessica Zalewski
Klutz to Klutz Advice by Marty Cabinet
Pictured on the far left is Reality Slapstein and on the far right, with coffee spilled all over her shirt, our klutz master, Marty Cabinet.
Subliminal Advice by Notanja
The subliminal advice would be written while blindfolded. photo: Susan Wozny
Twice/Thrice Advice by Freesia McKee
This advice would be reiterated two to three times. photo: Alan Thompson-Wallace
Mending Advice by Heidi Parkes
photo: Martin Hallanger
Mending advice included an actual string stitched into the typewritten response. Photo: Susan Wozny
photo: Susan Wozny
Taoist Advice by ViVi
Each person would choose something from the book of I Ching that informed the response.
photo: Martin Hallanger
English Teacher Advice by Red Pen
He brought a mug, a coffee maker and a red pen to make corrections. photo: Martin Hallanger
photo: Dominic Inouye
Hard Boiled Advice by Marty Cabinet
There is no way to explain what she was doing other than to show you a sample of what she typed in response to the question "How can we be more merciful to the environment?"
Life: Welcome To Reality Advice by CC
There is no recording of what CC told people, you just had to be there.
photo: Martin Hallanger
Unrealistic Advice by Madame Peacock
photos: Martin Hallanger
photo: Thea Kovac
Musical Advice by Indigo Jade Kästel
Advice you could sing.
Fiery Advice by Audrey Thompson-Wallace
Advice you could burn.
Botanical Advice by Root the Plant Whisperer
Advice you could grow. Photo: Bill Sieger
photo: Martin Hallanger
Here are some answers to "Should I buy an inflatable unicorn horn for the cats?"
The Nihilistic response
The Unrealistic response.
The Twice/Thrice response.
The Subliminal response. (Need a clue? Follow the capital letters.)
Fiery advice written of course by the wife of this particular advice seeker.
My personal favorite interpretation, the Mending advice response.
An exhibition and live reading talk back of the advice sought and offered at The Advice Tent will be coming soon.
Feel free to email us any pictures of the advice tent you have taken to notanja@gmail.com.
Thank you to our volunteers and donors: Ariana Vaeth, JoAnn Chang, Amber Bush, Sachin Deshpande, Jessica Zalewski, Marika Holbus, Christina Ward, Barbara Aho, Howard Leu, Jeanne DeSimone, Bill Sieger, Adam McKee, WC Tank, Pat Walsh, Dominic Inouye, Freesia McKee, Paragon Printing, Milwaukee Fringe Festival
We Found The Essences!
Last Saturday, undrea becker, a fellow typewriter poet from Decorah, Iowa came into town and we met for the very first time. As part of her visit we set up our typewriters at the Walker's Point Center For the Arts (WPCA) and composed spontaneous essences for anyone who came up to us and held a branch of bittersweet, a plant that undrea brought with her from Iowa. Over a period of 3 hours, 62 people (including a couple who wanted their essence as one person) got their essences read by us. 124 essences were transcribed on March, 12th, 2016! The event included a poetry installation of the essences of inanimate objects in WPCA from the art, to the electrical outlets and vents, bathroom fixtures and hallway. There was a table with cut up words and a spare typewriter so people could compose their own poems. And the thing that really brought everything together was the six piece band of musicians who had never played together, but improvised for the entire duration of the evening. The band, Spectron and the Nebulous Ones consisted of Anton "Spectron" Sieger, Erik Schoster/ He Can Jog, Micheal Bettine of Gongtopia, Jess Lemont of Be A Waterwolf, Jade Kästel and Dennis Tomashek.
undrea becker of Insta-poems and Anja Notanja of La Prosette. Photo: Howard Leu
Photo: Howard Leu
Something undrea wrote for the hallway.
Photo: Elmer Golon, Design 709
A bathroom mirror essence. Photo: Sara Risley
Toilet paper dispenser essence. Photo: Heidi Parkes
Here are some of the essences... The succinct ones are by undrea, the longer ones are mine.
A slideshow of my poster illustrations for the event. I still have posters left so if you want one, email me notanja@gmail.com. Thank you to everyone for sharing your essences with us!
Here is some of the sound from the event:
Two Typewriter Poets Describe Your Essence
Free public event, one night only!
When: Saturday, March 12th, 6-9pm
Where: Walkers Point Center for the Arts, 839 S. 5th Street, Milwaukee
Stand before a duo of writers and receive two typewritten interpretations of your physical presence as well as a musical one by Spectron and his Nebulous Band: Spectron Sieger on bass, Jess Lemont on drums, Michael Bettine on gongs, He Can Jig on pippi, Jade Kastel on accordion, Dennis on saxophone and Casey on guitar! Walk through a comedic literary installation that spreads out from the windows to the hallway to the bathroom. Create your own poem collages out of a pile of pre-typed words on colorful paper! Check out WPCA's current exhibition In//Out.
Decorah Iowa's undrea becker of Insta-poems.
Decorah Iowa's undrea becker, founder of Insta-Poems and Milwaukee's own Anja Notanja Sieger & La Prosette both happen to be typewriter poets who compose instant literature for strangers at art fairs and farmer's markets. The two women recently met each other on Twitter and decided they ought to meet in the real and see what happens if they type for people side by side.
Anja Notanja Asks Heidi Parkes to Ask: Steph Davies!
Thank you to Heidi Parkes for hosting my show this week and to Steph Davies for coming on and talking about the Waxwing! Right now the Waxwing is doing an interesting kickstarter with a lot of swunderful perks. Check that out here.
Anja Notanja Asks: Nancy Armitage
Nancy Armitage teaches art to people diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and tells us what that is like. Special thanks to Arte Bar and Painting Lounge.