Songs From The Throne

After symptoms of Crohn’s disease and its treatments resulted in Alex spending most of his mornings in the confinement of his bathroom, the artist questions societal notions of productivity and downtime as well as the tension between individualism and a more socially-minded orientation while the ongoing pandemic forces those very issues into the light. Golden currently has an online show at stepmothernature.com.

Statement

What happens when something starts to come between you and your goals, even your happiness? It’s a situation that I think everyone is experiencing to some degree right now as the pandemic races on, forcing us to stay home completely, or at least to give up some of our most treasured social and cultural traditions. For most, the current frustration is wearing, but I had a head start with all of this. Ill explain.

I’ve had Crohn’s Disease, an inflammatory condition of the gut, since 1991. After decades of heavy medications and surgeries, things have progressed to the point where I normally can’t leave the house for a good portion of the day. In essence, I have been experiencing my own lock down for nearly two years now, though for me, most of my time has been in the bathroom. As months went by and it became clear that this was my new normal, I became preoccupied with the frustration of confinement, but also with the very idea that I should be doing something, being more productive. I wondered is there really inherent value to productivity and forward motion, or can there be equal value in stasis and reflection? Had I internalized the American ethos that one is only as valuable as their accomplishments?

The desire to work and be productive is deeply ingrained in all humans, regardless of nationality, but stasis can be as important as productivity. Given the circumstance, I decided to use my downtime intuitively rather than struggle to draw in such small quarters. I began to listen to all kinds of music and I was surprised to realize that I could sing some of it. During the first 40 years of my life, I had mouthed the words in school chorus, I was too shy to ever join in the birthday song, and I just assumed that I couldn’t sing. I decided that I would teach myself to sing with the help of a karaoke app on my phone, and “songs from the throne” was born. I hope this project inspires people to question their assumptions about productivity, and I hope that it shows the potential of frustration and stasis. Maybe, we can learn from this pandemic, defy the rip currents of American capitalism, and embrace the nourishment of slowing down. Maybe, we can slow down enough to appreciate the melancholy beauty of a breakup song, and when we’re ready, move on to a more suitable lover.