Dayquan Moeller is a composer, playwright, poet, field recordist, and performance artist. While working with Adæpt, our TRANSFORM Winter 2022 grant recipient, Dayquan developed “BABY BOY/BABY BLUE”. He gave nora and Sara from the TRANSFORM team a look into his process and the impact of his art.
What’s something you’re really proud of this year?
I am really proud of my work helping organize the Adæpt Design group show, “This Must Be the Place,” which was developed with the mentorship and support from the TRANSFORM grant. Adæpt is made up of a variety of artists from multiple disciplines, so coming up with a collaborative idea that would consolidate our many talents and interests was a unique challenge. Eventually, I proposed to do a group show exploring our respective childhoods.
How did you participate in the group show?
My contribution was a performance installation titled “BABY BOY/BABY BLUE.” During [the performance] I was buried under a pile of all the blue items of clothing I own. The audience was asked to “free me” by taking an item of clothing and hanging it on a clothing line. Once I was uncovered, the audience was then asked to write about “a time that they felt blue,” and pin it onto an item of clothing.
What was your inspiration for this piece?
The performance was a meditation on my complicated relationship with masculinity, and the effects of masculine gender expectations on my mental health. Growing up I would cry often, which led to me being bullied both at home and at school for being “too sensitive.” This had the effect of transforming me from an over-sensitive child to an emotionally repressed adult. [“BABY BOY/BABY BLUE”] is an interactive performance-installation that seeks to reconcile those two sides of me by figuratively and literally uncovering the weight masculine repression from my body. This was not only a vulnerable experience for me, but also the audience, as I invited them to publicly share about a time they felt vulnerable themselves.
It was awesome to speak with Dayquan about such an impactful piece of performance art. To keep up with all the cool projects Dayquan is working on, follow him on Instagram. For information on how you can apply for The TRANSFORM Business Grant, click here.
Photo credit: Rosemae Kaiklian