K. Yoland (RCA) - 2020-21 Students

Tricksterism as a mode of resistance: An alternative freedom for the body inside military simulations and desertscapes

Research explores how a site-specific art practice, engaging the body in movement and installation making, can shift our perceptions of large scale terrain and its borders. Research propels the body on absurd journeys, which align with an adaptation of Tricksterism, to question the spatial dynamics which uphold ownership of large scale terrain. The core objective for this research is to contribute to a practice-led method which enables a different reading of the field of power. 

The contradictory visions of North-American desertscapes, which are simultaneously a symbol of freedom, and a place of control and violence, will form the stage for developing these modes of resistance. Research focuses on desert training sites for Mars and the military, and is arranged into three main sections: Political rambling & desert freedom; Spatial control & militarisation of desertscapes; and Resistance: Tricksterism in multi-dimensions — new ways of sharing terrain. Combining artistic methods of encounter and absurdity, research develops a contemporary form of Tricksterism as a mechanism for questioning territorialisation in the desert. Within the framework of an open ended journey, travelling across private and public desertscapes, this adapted Tricksterism produces strategic events, spontaneous action, and uncontrolled encounters, blending reality with new realities.