me kissing you: me kissing Maria Cristina

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

me kissing Maria Cristina

So I was at DiverseWorks briefly tonight for a little meet and greet event. Of course, I was being my usual wallflowery self and just sort of exploring the current installation (A Crack in Everything) which I had seen two weeks ago with performers cavorting through it. I love this sort of thing and there's so much about this particular piece that intrigues me but I can't formulate a solid response to it, yet.

But that's another story.

As I'm exploring this fabric, on which is projected video, a lovely woman comes up to me and starts talking about the installation. Turns out she's Maria Cristina Jadick, a member of the DW artist board. We begin talking a bit about our work and I mentioned my blogs and next thing you know I'm asking if I can kiss her. She said okay.

And so I've broken through the barrier of asking a stranger for blog content. Of course, this only encourages me.

But I'm also glad to make her acquaintance. Click on her name above and explore her website. Some good, challenging, work to be seen there. I hope we cross paths again.

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about this blog . . .

So 2011 saw me dealing with a bad 2010 by posting a picture of myself, taken first thing every morning, as some kind of conceptual art project. You can see all 365 blurry, bleary photos here.

As it was, at it's core, a response to loneliness, I knew it was not something I could or should sustain beyond the one year boundary I initially set for it. But I sort of liked this photo blogging thing . . .

So I decided the next logical step was to reach out to other people. Not just reach out, but cross some of my own comfort zones and kiss them. Not on the mouth, not in a romantic or sexual way, just a kiss on the cheek.

So, this year, I plan on kissing as many people as I can. I won't even try to kiss someone everyday, but in various situations, I may just ask someone, "hey, can I kiss you and photographically document the event?" If they say no, no worries, I'll move on. If they say yes, I'll say, "I have this tiny release form granting me permission." (It is a tiny release form, postcard size.)

It's a small way to get me out of a rut I'm in and also to spread a little love. In the ancient Christian church, there was the custom of the "kiss of peace" (which survives in liturgical churches today as "passing the peace," usually signified by a handshake). I think of this exercise as something of passing the peace, too, of offering a kiss of peace to whoever will let me do it. And document it.

Wait---there's more! You can be kissed, too! If you're in the Houston area and would like to be kissed by me, let me know. Or if you're coming to Houston. Or even if you're not in Houston or coming to Houston, but want to be on a list of potential kissees, in the event that I might be traveling to where you are (I get up Austin a few times a year, I hope to get to Chicago this year, etc.), let me know that, too. you never know where I might pop up. Email me at neilellisorts (at) yahoo dot com.