Have you ever heard someone say that Buffalo is akin to a big couch? How many times have you run into a Buffalonian, just after mentioning his or her name? It’s one of the reasons that Buffalo is considered such a tight-knit place. It’s also a city where drama can play a big part in everyday life. Ever feel like you’ve been living in a real life soap opera? If you have, then you will be interested to know that Buffalo ex-pat Sarah Baker is coming back to Buffalo to produce a multi-media “Soap Opera” starring the characters and antics of the Queen City. As part of her residency project, Baker will be tapping into the local acting community and capturing our architectural gems in order to rethink and reproduce a “highly-stylized, ‘revisionist’ history” of Buffalo, upon which time she will produce a series of vignettes that will be broadcast on Cable Access as well as exhibited at Hallwalls gallery. To add the authenticity of the video, Baker will also delve into a printed soap opera digest similar to the versions that were available back in the days when Soaps were all the rage, and supplements looked more like Readers Digests than National Enquirers. Right down to the advertisements, Baker plans on showcasing the local businesses as the backbone of the production similar to the national ads that would have been seen in-between takes of Luke ‘blanking’ Laura and Erica ‘blanking’ whomever.
What is even more fascinating is that Baker, who now resides in London, has created her own faux persona and brand in a similar way. You might say that she is a mastermind in obscuring the lines of real life and make believe. In a day when glamorous stars can look almost comedic in appearance, and often cross the line from grounded reality to supernatural stardom in a way that we now see as very natural, Baker’s unusual take on the blurred reality is a refreshing reminder that the absurd is just that. At the same time, we need to ask ourselves, “Who is buying into all of this this staged drama hook, line and sinker?” Whether marketing a car or a person, modern day reality TV’s ‘in your face’ crudeness has roots in yesterday’s simplistic soaps. It’s been a big business for a long time, and there are no signs that it’s going away any time soon. The clothes and the cars might be more over the top, and the slaps in the faces may be more authentic (appearing), but it all boils down to perception. It looks as if Baker is taking a more grounded approach to the industry by featuring Buffalo as a genuine character. And why not? I think that many people come back to Buffalo to get away from the glitz and glam of other cities – a glitz and glam that is becoming more and more mainstream as people and products become overly homogenized. While Buffalo may have its own real life drama, it is certainly not the made-up stuff that is being fed to the overzealous tourist types. All that could change with one visit by a woman who is looking to transform this real city into a reality city.
OUR TIME
A Hallwalls Artists-in-Residence Project
Exhibition opening Saturday March 10, 2012 (artist talk at 8pm)
Jackie Collins Night: An Evening of Screenings & Readings (Hosted by HARP artist, Sarah Baker)
Saturday, March 24, 2012
7:00 pm reception / 8:00 pm screening $10.00