A “come as you aren’t” performance party/art exhibit in which guests were invited to come dressed incognito, as their secret identity. Lasting eight hours, the show attracted over 400 people and involved six musical acts, nine performance artists, and 28 visual/installation artists.

Who Do You Think You Are?

A statement about the show by Josh Worth (aka: Trade City Executive Director)

Assuming an alter-ego has always been a means of liberating oneself from the constraints of conditioned behaviors, and way of experiencing the world from a fresh stand-point. For artists, it is an act which provides an avenue for the dissection of identity and the exploration of multiple-selves. In an increasingly fragmented world in which individuals are required to function in a variety of discordant roles, taking on an alter-ego is a method of self-reinvention using internal, rather than external motivations.

In a society which, at times, seems all-too sure of itself, the creation of a new identity is a subtle subversion of the social and environmental forces which shape our day-to-day personalities and illuminates us with the knowledge that those personalities are somewhat arbitrary costumes that we’ve merely grown accustomed to wearing.

The theme of the alter-ego has appeared in the works of cultural icons such as The Beatles (Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band), David Bowie (Ziggy Stardust), and Andy Kauffman (Tony Clifton), and has been addressed by contemporary artists such as Eleanor Antin, Mariko Mori, Cindy Sherman, Sophie Calle, Matthew Barney, and Vibeke Tandberg (to name a few). And, of course, the entire art-form of acting is based entirely on the quiet malleability of identity. Inspired by the work of these artists, we felt that the concept was worth celebrating in a large-scale event which would allow the hidden population of L.A.’s secret identities to perform, create, and come out to play.

Participating Artists:

MUSICAL GUESTS:
DJ Assault (aka: Craig Adams)
Lily (aka: Lily Marlene)
Kennedy
FLU-Zs (aka: Reza, Hawk, C-NIK)
Randy J (aka: Schizophrenic Investigator)
Algemeen

PERFORMERS:
MH3 (aka: McCristol Harris III)
Hollace Starr
Lineage Dance Company
Claire McKeown
Sheila La Brute (aka: Emily Morishita)
Doppel-Gang (aka: Paloma Parfrey & Renee Reynolds)
Zari (aka: Jocelyn Matthews)
Kiki Kadero (aka: Victor Wilde)
Denise Denisovich (aka: Natalya Brusilovsky)
Missy Conundrum (aka: Darcy Leonard)

VISUAL/INSTALLATION ARTISTS:
Dixon Ticonderoga (aka: Mark Farina)
Thaddeus Strode
Bing (aka: Paul Hadley)
Adam Harteau
Maureen Weiss
The Personality Alteration Machine (aka: Dong Hoon Jun & Josh Worth)
Blurgirl (aka: Rossana Jeran)
Justin Ford
Jay Stuckey
Kenji Hashimoto
David Hinnebusch
Riley (aka: David Burns with Sally Brockington)
Bella Vendetta (aka: Arabella Proffer)
Nancy Culver-Griffin
Dr. Mangor (aka: John Baurley)
Mr. Monkey Face (aka: Mark Hunter)
The Twins (aka: Adriana Yugovich & Brian O’Dell)
Ay-Yay-Yay (aka: KT Garcia)
Frank Rozasy
Kromangun (aka: Sean Miner)
Chris Rowland
Mark Dugally
DA! (aka: Ash Shahparnia)
Nathan Spoor