Charles Dennis
Chaol Canyon

Charles Dennis rehearsed in the first floor loft space above 112 Workshop for six months and during that time he created sculpture, dance, and a total environment for the space, where the piece was performed. Chaol Canyon featured sculpture: a bamboo bed frame made from bamboo and rough 16″ long branches extended vertically, a table, and a giant dragonfly of copper tubing and wire mesh with an 8′ wingspan which hung suspended from the ceiling. The piece included a color slide projection (made by Jacob Burckhardt from a photograph by Art Twombly) of Chaol Canyon, Arizona, which appeared in the Sierra Wilderness Calendar (1977), as well as a simultaneous video presentation operated by Andy Gurian of Charles Dennis’ dancing, and an audio-tape collage created by the artist and Andrew Horn. [artist’s statement]

Excerpted from Brentano, R., & Savitt, M. (1981). 112 Workshop, 112 Greene Street: History, artists & artworks. New York: New York University Press.