THE LAUGHING SPACE
2020
The Laughing Space was a campy, absurdist performance art + video project that sank its toes into themes of hyperreality.
unboxing
jawbreaker
silent night
how to make a face vase
fade into you
creative guts
WHat inspired THE LAUGHING SPACe?
Taylor wanted to create a series that bends genre and medium, riding the line between performance art and sketch comedy. Taylor cites Cindy Sherman, Mike Kelley’s Day is Done, Thu Tran’s Food Party, PBS’s Zoom, Pee Wee’s Playhouse, Gyllenhaal’s "Music Everywhere,” and “Don't Hug Me I'm Scared” as influences. The Laughing Space used a paper-mache world to reveal the grotesque in contemporary culture by parodying unboxing videos, influencer persona, and the commodification of our humanity into the “personal brand.”
WATCH Complete Part 1
In Part 1 Taylor parodies tropes of influencer culture such as unboxing videos, screen-free days, performative activism, and pseudo-reality TV shows to critique spectacle-driven social media and hyperreality.
THE REVIEWS ARE IN!
Watch Complete Part 2: “THE HOLIDAY BLUES”
Don’t lose your head - we’re back with a special holiday minisode that is both joyful and triumphant! In this episode, Taylor will face the holiday blues head on! Join her and her pals for some socially distanced caroling in the
Fa-La-La-La-La-La-Laughing Space.
Taylor is joined by special guest stars Kitty Jardenil, Dylan Gilbert, Headexplodie, Hamilton Ward, d’Angelo Dia, Kat Sánchez Standfield, Jillian Mueller, Josh Ryan, Meg Lewis, and HNin Nie.
Want to interact with the laughing space? Access the laughing space gif sticker pack on GIPHY!
THE collaborative team
Taylor Lee Nicholson
Taylor created, wrote, produced, and starred in The Laughing Space. Both their dark sense of humor and their ability to turn literal garbage into absurd paper-mache sculptures created the foundation on which the world of The Laughing Space was built.
hNin Nie
HNin directed, edited, and scored the The Laughing Space. HNin brought her unique talent of layering vibrant imagery over unsettling experiences to this project.
Meg Lewis
Meg, designer and comedian extraordinaire, designed and animated the title graphic for The Laughing Space. Her love of clowns and her talent for whimsical design brought pizzaz and extra oomph to the project.
SPECIAL THANKS TO
Katrina Sánchez Standfield
Part 1
Special Guest Star
Fever Dolls
“THE DISTANCE”
Written by Evan Allis
Performed by Fever Dolls
Courtesy of Dirty Movies, LLC.
Loved The Laughing Space?
Check out my other video explorations here.
