There’s no pretending that the colorful garden gnome statues that adorn your neighbors’ lawns aren’t just a little bit scary. Once a symbol of immense wealth, the garden gnome, in pre-18th century mythology, was designed to watch the properties of the wealthy and frighten off unwanted intruders.
Taking the fear out of the miniature menace, however, is Philadelphia-based performance artist and clown Alexandra Tatarsky. As the Glen Foerd Mansion’s “gnome in residence” she will present two free performances of her “Gnome Core” performance on June 24 and 25.
After all, that’s the job of Glen Foerd’s Performing Artist in Residence—to welcome visitors and make them laugh.
“It is a special opportunity to become Glen Foerd’s performing Artist-in-Residence, their first,” said Tatarsky of the honor. “I have this entire vast estate, this 18-acre public park and historic site, to roam, call my own, play with, and be inspired by. And because I am their first performing Artist-in-Residence, my role is very open ended. They’re used to having their artists be more visual: sculptors, painters or photographers. And I can see the traces of what they left behind and around. And my way of making sense of all of this, Glen Foerd’s grounds, was to be a gnome. I think of myself as a mysterious trickster. I can be cheeky while considering the rich nature of the lands surrounding me.”
Ross Mitchell, executive director of Glen Foerd, credits the large turnout – from artists and audiences – when the residency programs were announced, that performers on its grounds along the Delaware River was a natural next step. Especially as the public park and nonprofit cultural site is looking to become a popular venue in an area where little live art is readily and regularly available.
“We submitted a grant request to the NEA (The National Education Association), and were looking to expand our opportunities and output here,” said Mitchell. “And I always had this secret dream for Glen Foerd, to have a professional hermit on the grounds, and to live and work in our four-story water tower erected in the 1850s. So, Alex’s work fits in perfectly with my dream.”
Tatarsky jokes back to Mitchell that, “I am glad that I can make your dreams of hermit-ude come true.”
Anyone who has witnessed Tatarsky’s absurd brand of physical comedy and loud style of performance art at Philadelphia venues such as Vox Populi, Space 1026 and FringeArts knows the educated mirth of which they are capable. Still, nothing in their past would prepare audiences for the “hermit-ude” planned for Glen Foerd.
“I find that the gnome is a powerful metaphor for the role of the artist in society,” said Tatarsky. “What excited me about the prospect of doing this in a live setting – an ornamental hermit before the 18th century was a living garden gnome, and could be sad and thoughtful, or posed for melancholy and contemplative. Sometimes the living garden gnome would entertain the visitors. And there is something very moving and intriguing about a gnome who is paid to do some of the thinking for their wealthy patrons – that reminds me of the modern artist. We work with our bodies and our minds to entertain. That is our tools, our material, and we’re always navigating the context of where we are performing.”
Glen Foerd Mansion is located at 5001 Grant Ave. in Northeast Philadelphia. For more information, visit glenfoerd.org/events
