The Toss

March 1 – 31, 2012

Opening Reception: Thursday, March 1, 2012, 7:00 – 9:00 pm

Gallery TPW is thrilled to present new work by Prairie-based media artist Linda Duvall. Duvall’s projects most often focus on how individual identities are formed and revealed within social contexts and constructs. Posited in contrast to more intimate and private narratives, she consistently addresses the formation of public knowledge through art and media representation. The Toss is a video and sound installation in which Duvall documents her process of learning to physically toss others. Born out of her personal experience during a police take down and an extensive material and sociological research process, The Toss puts Duvall in relation to diverse trainers — from Hollywood stunt experts to women’s self-defense instructors — from whom she learns to toss. She then enacts confrontations and tosses in various locations of perceived vulnerability. New to Duvall’s practice is the deconstruction of her own physical performance in the work while collaborating with camera operators who assert their own aesthetic vision in relation to filmic and narrative conventions.