Berd’s Carnival 2010, video documentation, 2010

Location: Pratt Institute

It is an ambitious and outstanding tour de force through your childhood. Unexpected and magical…it will stay with you forever and you will want to inevitably go back…like a time machine of some sorts.  Berd’s Carnival 2010 will shift your perspective through satirical provocations and personal curiosity and at the same time, from a more sober and objective perspective, shed light on problems of inclusion and disenfranchisement. – Maura Falfan

About: Berd’s Carnival 2010 was inspired by Coney Island and the flat plains of Texas where I grew up. Some elements of Berd’s Carnival were created off site but the actual vision flourished inside the 1000 square foot gallery space. A large structure made of particle board was built within the space, with the assistance of Rainy Lehman . About 40 sheets of 4’x8′ plywood were transported 10 at a time by Home Depot push cart, on foot, with the help of a hired laborer, from Home Depot to Pratt (about 8 street blocks). Elements of Berd’s Carnival included a legless horse carousel, a Wonder Wheel Paint Machine, a Coney Island Installation of light and sound, moving sculptures and various types of slots, slats and lenses to look through. After paying a .25 cent fee, one was admitted on voyeuristic terms only, forced to engage with the carnival by peering through various openings. The sounds of Coney Island, along with a string quartet playing pieces from Hitchcock films resonated inside the space. The sounds drifted in and out depending on where you were positioned in the gallery.