Odyssey Works

Provides a handbook for artists and non-artists alike to create meaningful and beautiful experiences. Burickson and LeRoux upend standard appoaches to artmaking through six proposals for a radically new type of work based in empathy, deep involvement, experimentation with boundaries of form, and a belief that well-crafted work can be life-changing. The Odyssey Works artists' collective infiltrates the life of one person at a time to create a custom-tailored, life-altering performance. It may last for one day or a few months and consists of experiences that blur the boundaries of life and art--is that subway mariachi band, used book of poetry, or meal with a new friend real or a part of the performance? Central to this book is their 2013 performance for Rick Moody, author of The Ice Storm. His Odyssey lasted four months and included a fake children's book, introducing the themes of his performance, and a cello concert in a Saskatchewan prairie (which Moody almost missed after being stopped at customs with, suspiciously, no idea why he was traveling to Canada). --From publisher description.