IN FLUX : Cycle 1
The Mythology of Cleo & Optimist Dinghy: from the Eternal Optimist Series
by Erin V. Sotak
Sotak transformed two vacant storefront spaces through installation and performance over the course of one year. As part of her on-going Eternal Optimist Series, the artist spent months building an Optimist Dinghy in the first space featuring diagrams and poetry, fabricated lemons, nautical objects, a live lemon tree, and video art depicting previous chapters of the series.
After utilizing the first storefront as a performance space for the construction of the Optimist Dinghy, an 8-foot wooden sailing vessel traditionally used by children, Sotak created a second installation showcasing the completed boat that also featured secret sounds of the ocean a more prominent display of the artist’s video work. Following its appearance as a part of IN FLUX, the boat sailed on to subsequent chapters in Sotak’s myth of the Eternal Optimist.