The New York Office
In the summer of 2016, Dedo Vabo was commissioned to take over a small art gallery in The Bowery district of Manhattan. They spent 10 days constructing a make-shift office to act as a stage for a nonstop performance that ran 8 hours a day for 21 days straight. The performance space was built in the style of a 1970’s business office with a single glass wall facing the street. This allowed passing spectators to spontaneously stumble across the performance, witnessing the strange scene of an office full of business hippos, first hand. The installation debuted on a Wednesday night at 3AM which was the perfect time to capture few random drunk patrons, with blurry eyes, stumbling home from their local bar.
8 HOURS A DAY, ALL WEEK, FOR ONE MONTH
The New York Office debuted at 4 AM on a Wednesday and ran nonstop for a solid
month. No announcement was made. No explanation was given. New Yorkers on
their way to work would pass by a large window full of hippos, destroying an office inside.
Like many of Dedo Vabo’s subsequent pieces, the room was filled with interactive elements and special FX which allowed the performers to truly manipulate their own environment. Shelves randomly collapsed, trap doors on the wall flung open, taxidermy animals came to life, and a cursed xerox machine spewed out paper and fire.
The New York Office was Dedo Vabo’s East Coast debut and marked a return to their roots, creating small, memorable performance art for unsuspecting spectators.
