Sanford Richardson Fels

SanFord richardSon FelS in Conversation with JessiC

Jessica Beckwith: The element of play in your work seems to be an act of empowerment and agency. Do you experience that?

Sanford Richardson Fels: Absolutely! Part of it stems from this worry I always had as a kid that there wouldn’t be any room for fun in what I did, whatever profession I ended up in as an adult. I was determined to make sure that wouldn’t happen, but I was still worried it would. When I started studying art, and making what I made, I realized that I did it, I was having goofy good fun professionally. When I hold these swords, it feels like wielding my life in my own hands, or taking the reins of fate—whatever expression you prefer for taking control of your life and your fate. I have always known that there are so many different ways to see and go about life, and the swords help me to carve out my own way of doing things.

JB: In what ways do you think play could aid a broader cultural collective sense of empowerment and agency?

SRF: I think sort of in the same vein I just talked about, it has the power to disrupt and give agency, but collaboratively it also adds an understanding of empathy and care. As an adult, or really as any person in a structured society, we look and live through the perspective we learned, through school or parenting or what-have-you. In Western society, and most societies, play isn’t a part of that structure—but it is something that we all know, and is familiar. Playing and having fun is an instinct! So when you introduce play to an adult or an “adult” system, after a little coxing anyone can pick it up—and then this playing disrupts the given structure and perspective, and can lead to new thoughts and ideas for the individual and collective. If people were to embrace play as a group, playing together, they would quickly realize that their goals are the same: to have fun. This connection can create empathy and spark collaboration in play. Plus, everyone knows that eventually, it is more fun to play with others than alone. I guess what I am trying to say is that when you understand that everyone is just trying to have fun, enjoy life in all of its beauty, and you indulge in that sense of fun, then it’s easier to see things from others’ perspectives, and to think outside of your own. I think a larger sense of play in society could very much aid a sense of empowerment, but acting on that empowerment is a whole other fish fry.

JB: Has play had a role in how you’ve come to know yourself and discover your identity, free of a culturally-projected gender binary? Has play informed and shifted how you relate, and how you develop relationships that are free of cultural role play?

SRF: To be honest, I have never thought about my gender and relationships in terms of “play” or “playing,” beyond the phrasing “playing around” with gender or cultural norms. But I do think it connects in the way of disregarding cultural norms for something more enjoyable—that shift of perspective or taking your fate into your own hands that I just talked about. It certainly can be fun! These two things, gender and relationships, are two vastly personal things that are meant to give you joy—joy through expression, and joy through connection. In that way I suppose it is a sort of playing. But where it really connects for me is the same sudden moment of realizing “Oh, just because I am in a gallery doesn’t mean I can’t play with this sculpture.” Just because someone says you are a man or a woman, doesn’t mean you can’t be something else. In terms of relationships— this is actually really funny, I am realizing this was a similar feeling to realizing you can play in a gallery—I have such a distinct memory of me and my partner at the time realizing “Oh wait, we can be in our relationship, while also being in other intimate relationships, making us more happy.” Ethical polyamory is still such a taboo thing, but when we just thought about what would make us happy instead of what would make sense culturally, it became an obvious option. From there I have been able to understand so many different types of relationships, romantic or platonic or things that don’t fit in those categories. But that’s not to say that relationship and gender is all fun and games. It’s hard, emotional, and messy, especially when there is not just a lack of cultural framework, but a cultural framework actively working against you.

I always try to understand each new relationship with a friend as a truly new and unique thing, but that is hard when my vocabulary is so specific, so shaved down. It is also just worth noting that I in no way think that the best way to go about ethical polyamory is to “just have fun.” It’s to have fun in mind, and communicate what makes each person happy. When you play with others you

Sanford Richardson Fels

BFA Sculpture

Ca BeCkwith

of empowerment, but acting on that empowerment is a whole other fish fry.

JB: Has play had a role in how you’ve come to know yourself and discover your identity, free of a culturally-projected gender binary? Has play informed and shifted how you relate, and how you develop relationships that are free of cultural role play?

SRF: To be honest, I have never thought about my gender and relationships in terms of “play” or “playing,” beyond the phrasing “playing around” with gender or cultural norms. But I do think it connects in the way of disregarding cultural norms for something more enjoyable—that shift of perspective or taking your fate into your own hands that I just talked about. It certainly can be fun! These two things, gender and relationships, are two vastly personal things that are meant to give you joy—joy through expression, and joy through connection. In that way I suppose it is a sort of playing. But where it really connects for me is the same sudden moment of realizing “Oh, just because I am in a gallery doesn’t mean I can’t play with this sculpture.” Just because someone says you are a man or a woman, doesn’t mean you can’t be something else. In terms of relationships— this is actually really funny, I am realizing this was a similar feeling to realizing you can play in a gallery—I have such a distinct memory of me and my partner at the time realizing “Oh wait, we can be in our relationship, while also being in other intimate relationships, making us more happy.” Ethical polyamory is still such a taboo thing, but when we just thought about what would make us happy instead of what would make sense culturally, it became an obvious option. From there I have been able to understand so many different types of relationships, romantic or platonic or things that don’t fit in those categories. But that’s not to say that relationship and gender is all fun and games. It’s hard, emotional, and messy, especially when there is not just a lack of cultural framework, but a cultural

I always try to understand each new relationship with a friend as a truly new and unique thing, but that is hard when my vocabulary is so specific, so shaved down. It is also just worth noting that I in no way think that the best way to go about ethical polyamory is to “just have fun.” It’s to have fun in mind, and communicate what makes each person happy. When you play with others you must communicate and consider their feelings.

JB: By claiming this phallic war symbol of power and suppression and co-opting it for symbolic social play, you’re able to re-write the use of this power tool as a way of capturing someone’s essence and the truth of their self-expression. You’re also claiming a new way of relating to others and re-writing what community can mean. Traditionally it feels like we’ve operated in a tribal sense where community is associated with committing to your tribe and following to legitimize and give that tribe worth and power. Does that resonate for you? Can you talk about your process in deciding to use the sword as a symbol, and who you chose to come to play and rediscover through play and dress in this communal event?

SRF: First off: you said it better than I ever could have, and while those connotations were not meant when I first started making the swords, the meanings evolved perfectly into what you just described.

When I started making them (although it was not that much an active decision as an act of playing around with materials), I realized that I was making them with the idea of wielding narrative. They held the power to wield a story, and to propel a story further, solely because whenever someone would pick one up, suddenly a narrative was formed in their mind about why they had that sword, what their quest was. To add to this, within the loose context of the tales of King Arthur and the Sword in the Stone, a sword tends to be a symbol of empowerment, as we’ve been talking about.

My dream, of course, was to create communal empowerment, where you tell a narrative together. I think there was a sort of side effect in telling a collective narrative, where the playing out of this story highlighted each specific relationship between those who were telling it.

At least, I think that makes sense within the photos here, with the people I asked to pose and play with the swords. These models are three dear friends of mine, all of whom are in a relationship together that ranges from romantic to platonic, so there is already quite a nuanced communal relationship which I honestly wasn’t trying to show, but I think it was expressed regardless. They are a family of sorts, a family that I know shares my enthusiasm and ability to play without regard to what might be expected of them. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that they all play an absurd amount of Dungeons and Dragons, which I knew would make them easy to get into the state of mind for the photoshoot.

JB: What were your preparations like? Did you prepare everyone you invited with a backstory, or was it all improvisation? Were you each exploring specific aspects of connection, community, and play, or was it discovered in the moment?

SRF: It was a very spontaneous thing. The only planning was that of a date and time that worked for everyone, and the rest was improv. So, yes, it was all discovered in the moment. There was a little stagnation at the beginning, where they asked me if they should be portraying something specific, but the only direction aside from how to angle the swords and where to be was to just play around, and they did exactly that. It was really lovely watching them develop a sort of narrative of protecting and betrayal, and uniting.

JB: Did everyone select their own outfits? Were they exploring through dress or were their outfits their everyday wear?

SRF: Oh, the outfits! I was a little surprised and delighted when everyone showed up in costumes of a sort, when I didn’t specify to do so. I say “of a sort” because these outfits are not that far off from what these friends would normally wear, but they were a little exaggerated. The most “costume-like” item was the cape on my friend Gil, and maybe his fish earring which spurred an entire narrative of pirates coming to take a fair maiden—but aside from that they were pretty similar to their everyday wear. They are a particularly spectacular and creative bunch, which is why I asked them to be my models.

Swords 2019–2021. Spruce, pine, and cherry wood