Gabrielle St. Evensen Presents “Marry Your Self”
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, in partnership with Art Production Fund, has announced P3Studio artist-in-residence Gabrielle St. Evensen.
In her performance art piece, Marry Your Self, St. Evensen challenges the traditional notion of a wedding by inviting guests to marry themselves. Conceived as a fantasy loft party in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, the piece has been experienced by over 1,000 participants through public and private incarnations in places like the New Orleans Biennial and Burning Man in Black Rock City, Nevada.
Gabrielle St. Evensen presents “Marry Your Self”
The experience incorporates elements of a traditional wedding—a chapel-like environment designed and created by New York-based sculptor and performance artist Alexander G. Lyle, vows, a bouquet, ring and wedding cake—but the commitment guests make is to themselves rather than another person. “You’ve lived with yourself for a long time,” St. Evensen reasons. Her residency offers guests an opportunity to make their commitment to themselves “official” and mark the moment with celebration.
Within P3Studio, St. Evensen will create an environment that evokes the feeling of the inner sanctum of a chapel—a warm and graceful space that welcomes guests with soothing, glowing lights. Guests will be guided through the entire wedding process, from writing their vows (or choosing from those provided) to selecting a bouquet and a ring. When ready, they will be led through their vows, a promise they will repeat out loud while looking into a mirror, staring into their own eyes and acting as their own chief witness. Finally, guests are pronounced married to themselves and treated to a mini celebration complete with cheers, a wedding cupcake and photo.
St. Evensen is an international multi-media artist known for fusing her candy-coated subversion tactics into professional video creation, VJ’ing, music and performance art. She is a sought-after, bilingual voiceover talent, a skill that makes its way into much of her art. She is the comedic host of Radical Vaudeville in New York and is launching her online radio show “Electric Eclectic,” this May.
The P3Studio artist-in-residence program at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas represents one component of its larger art program, in which artists create projects that are interactive and participatory, giving guests the opportunity to connect at an authentic and personal level. Developed and curated in partnership with Art Production Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to producing ambitious public art projects, it strives to reach new audiences and expand awareness through contemporary art.