While in residence in Mexico in 2018, we developed a collaborative creative practice that investigates a connection between humans and their environment. We call this practice ‘unrediscovered’.
Questioning ownership and belonging, it begins as a site specific exploration of the terrain and flora wherever we are: Jason with his sketchbook, watercolor paints and brushes -- Megan with her journal as well as her physical form for expression. Our process is initiated when we are attracted to an natural occurrence which exudes an energy too strong for us to resist. Using field guides and research materials as well as alchemical processes, we note our unrefined perceptions of the object, the specifics of its identity, and then begin an improvised engagement with it.
We observe, investigate, and interpret its energy and presence -- Megan creating poems, songs and dances; Jason creating photographs, sketches and paintings. This interpretation may also contain traces of our presence in the field alongside the plant. It may also include other evidence of animals or of the surrounding environment. The material gathered in the field is transported back to the studio and explored further, leading to variations and new discoveries. Presentations of our findings include painting, photography, film, installation, performance, movement, song, poetry, and writing.
jason goodfriend
jason bradley goodfriend is a visual artist and designer from Sarasota, FL. Fond of making art from a very young age, he began his formal art training at Booker High School in the Visual and Performing Arts Program and went on to get a degree in Industrial Design at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. He followed his passions to New York City and spent his time working at the Society of Illustrators and studying drawing and painting at the Art Students League of New York. His painting and drawing style is a mix of contemporary fine art and illustration focusing on portraits and landscapes. He works in many media, including oil paint, watercolor, gouache, charcoal, and graphite. He currently lives in California and is seeking a position as a visual development artist at a film studio.
megan kendzior
megan danielle kendzior is a performer, creator and organizer, originally hailing from Sarasota, Florida. Her choreographic work offers buoyant explorative scores that allow imagination to blend with environmental influence, abstract narrative, and historical inquiry. Her work has been presented by Danspace Project and New York Live Arts (Fresh Tracks), among other venues in New York, Florida, North Carolina, Illinois, Virginia, Montana, Washington DC, Guatemala, Israel and Mexico. She is honored to have worked as an arts advocate for Movement Research, the American Alliance of Artists and Audiences, Jennifer Monson/iLAND, and in collaboration with many phenomenal individual artists. She currently lives in California and has been accepted as a PhD candidate in Performance Studies.