Dance on aisle five? Art to transform Whole Foods

Add "art" to grocery shopping lists for Whole Foods Market this weekend. And when "art' is crossed off, it might forever change the way you execute this weekly chore.

That's what happened for Contemporary Arts Center performance curator Drew Klein after he attended a performance of Heine Avdal and Yukiko Shinozaki's "Borrowed Landscape" at a market in Oslo, Norway, last March.

"If you allow yourself the opportunity to sit back and pay attention to details and subtleties, it can re-frame your understanding and appreciation of (grocery stores)," said Klein, who is staging the United States premiere of "Borrowed Landscape" on Saturday and Sunday afternoon at Whole Foods Market on Edmondson Road in Norwood.

The audio and visual performance is not just free — it's entirely optional, Klein said. Shoppers will have the option of picking up headphones on their way into the Whole Foods from 2-4 p.m. both days to access an audio track from the artists.

The artists will share facts, trivia and other insights, like the number of screws in the shelves or the amount of soda purchased daily, according to the center. The audio track is on a loop that repeats every 30 minutes, Klein said.

Thirteen performers from the Cincinnati dance company, Pones Inc., will also be positioned around the store and highlight, through movement, certain details of the space.

Danielle Reynolds, marketing team leader for Whole Foods Market Cincinnati, said the market serves people who are interested in the arts. The store often hosts arts events, she said, such as live music on the weekends, typically the two busiest days of the week.

"We love creating experiences" for customers, she said. "It is really going to be a social experiment."

Klein said subtly is a strength of "Borrowed Landscape."

"I thought this was a really subtle performance within a really common space," Klein said. "...with this performance, I felt like there was no bombast."

During the Oslo performance, Klein said he found himself "smirking a lot."

"I like how it required a keen eye and a little bit of humor," he said.

He also found himself watching the audience — and shoppers who didn't know they were part of an audience.

"There were a lot of people who were just shopping," he said. "I watched them slowly understand they were part of something larger."

Unexpected art in public spaces is a main interest of Pones Inc., said Kim Popa, executive director and co-founder.

They aim to break down the barriers between audience and performer in often site-specific work. The group has performed in area retails spaces like Ikea, Kroger in Walnut Hills and Whole Foods Market in Mason.

They have permission to perform in these spaces, "but there is some part of you that feels like you are doing something wrong," said Popa, who will perform in "Borrowed Landscape."

People usually respond one of two ways, she said. "There are those pretend we are not there and those who are really engaged."

No one has had an aggressive reaction, she noted. "Nobody is upset."

Popa often focuses on one person while she's performing — herself.

"You kind of just stay in your own internalized space" to stay focused.

"We want people to engage with us," she said. "That is what makes the show thrive and what keeps it going. ... When they act they don't see us, it's more distracting."

IF YOU GO

What: "Borrowed Landscape," by artists Heine Avdal and Yukiko Shinozaki and featuring performers from Pones Inc.

When: 2-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Where: Whole Foods Market, 2693 Edmondson Road, Cincinnati.

Admission: Free.

Learn more:http://contemporaryartscenter.org/