Snake Charmer

A profession that practices hypnotizing a snake by playing an instrument.  Though serpents have featured prominently in humankind's religions for centuries, the earliest evidence for snake charming comes from Ancient Egyptian sources.  Charmers in Egypt mainly acted as magicians and healers.  However, part of their repertoire included entertainment; they knew how to handle the animals and became skilled at sleight of hand techniques.  Despite appearances, the cobra is actually deaf to ambient noises and does not respond to the music being played but rather to the shape and movement of the flute.

These works were exhibited at a one-night-only exhibition in the apartment home of curator Sierra Stinson.  All of the contents of the studio apartment are cleared and stacked inside the walk in closet for the exhibition to take place.