Tracy + the Plastics is an American electropop and video project group from Olympia, Washington, United States.[1] The members include Nikki Romanos on keyboard, Cola on drums, and Tracy as the lead vocals. Although the name implied the group was made up of a lead singer and back up musicians, all three characters were performed by Wynne Greenwood, a lesbianfeminist artist using video projection,[2] who calls herself a representative of the "lesbo for disco" generation.
Tracy + the Plastics' music consisted of a Boss DR-5 drum machine, an Akai 612 disc sampler, and combines lo-fi filmmaking, performance art, Devo-styled songs, and feminist and queer politics in an entertaining package. During live performances Nikki and Cola would perform and exist only through projected video previously recorded, and through the performance, the band members would communicate with each other[3]
Tracy + the Plastics was the ultimate result of two other projects Wynne created, the first of these being called The Tooth, then The OK Miss Suit. "Tracy + the Plastics came from this choose-your-own-adventure murder mystery movie I was writing. The Plastics were a group of girls who ran a pawn shop and replaced parts of themselves with hyper-colorful pieces of plastic. Their town was never-ending, gray drab, surrounded by super-tall mountains that people lived on top of. Bits of plastic debris would fall down the mountains, and the Plastics (Nikki, Cola, Tracy, and Honeyface) would find and use the debris, like a red toothpaste cap for a tooth or something like that."[4][5]
In 2005, Tracy + the Plastics recorded a version of the Lesbians on Ecstasy song "Summer Luv", which was released on that band's LP of remixes, Giggles In The Dark.
This performance was meant to re-imagine the 1970s feminist consciousness by exploring the notions of identity and communication, and question the present state of radical feminism. A way of finding homes within a home, by constructing a grey area for feminists.[7]
2006 The Room with Fawn Krieger in The Moore Space, Miami
A continued performance of The ROOM from New York where the audience and is connected to the performance space in a domestic setting, attempting to interrupt linear narratives and physical space, questioning binary systems, emphasizing process, and raising conversations between the temporary and the permanent.[8]
In June 2006, Wynne Greenwood called an end to the Tracy + The Plastics project.
2014 "Stacy" at Cooley Gallery in Portland Oregon
The reform of Tracy + the Plastics as way of nurturing Tracy + the Plastics into contact and conversation with its own future, creating a queering space of intimacy, humor, and hope.[9]
September 2015- January 2016 "Kelly" at New Museum in New York
Bringing into dialogue with more recent work exploring the artists interest in what she called "Culture Healing". "Kelly" considered the poetics of the pause while mining electric gaps of meaning in conversation and offering possibilities for feminist, queer, and other experimental models of collaboration and dialogue[10]
Interaction between Greenwood and the Plasticsedit
The performances are a mix between the music that they produce and conversations between Tracy, Nikki, and Cola as well as the various thing that they do during their performances like Colas losing her wallet during a performance, Nikki forgetting how to start a song not from the middle with a disinterested gaze, and all three trying to figure out where the president lives (all of which happened during a performance at The Trunkspace in Phoenix, AZ in 2002). The performances are perfectly timed together as Greenwood acts out each role with precise timing. Through the projections, all three members are linked together in the same space like a basement or a car.
Greenwood discusses everyday things with her comrades as Tracy like the hair on her nipple, getting off of work, and dying logs, a play on words for 'dialogue' (again taking place at The Trunkspace in Phoenix, AZ in 2002). The three band mates act as though they are all physically present and sharing the same space, like Cola asking if she can borrow Tracy's can of spray paint and speak as if they were actual friends, like Cola asking if the sign was straight then spraying two female symbols underneath, to make it less straight/more gay (from Spring Tour Performance in 2001). They perform a sound track with one another and tell complain when they find each other annoying (Spring Tour Performance, 2001). During one performance, Nikki and Cola asked to be called Nicole instead of their actual names, as if Tracy wasn't aware that they had changed their minds at some point (from "World" performance, 2004).
Greenwood crafted each character to be their own individual person, more different from the last. She somehow created a friend group that meshes well together and defends their queer bodies and politics while making music with an attractive beat. Tracy, Cola, and Nikki give each other subtle glances throughout their performances and stop promptly when someone needs a break or needs to say something like if they know another friend (from "World" performance in 2004). She has created a background and lives outside of performing for each of the girls like the fact that Cola broke her wrist and is wearing a cast while the other girls are not and how they each came out differently, like how Nikki came out through while Tracy came out over the phone (from "World" performance, 2004).
Greenwood has managed to create a band with multiple personalities and figures from one woman, and make the experience feel like a real performance from any alternative band. During a performance, Cola blanks out and Tracy repeatedly has to call her name to capture her attention (from "Can You Pause That For A Second…" from 2003). During the very same video the camera angle changes to move as Tracy would so that the audience cans see what she would essentially see. Tracy and Nikki later on in the video cover Cola from the audience's eyes as she changes and that would have been inappropriate to do so in front of strangers. Greenwood has made it so that Cola and Nikki are conscious of the universe in which they do not exist and make them sensitive to the real needs of people, like the act of privacy and shame.[11]
Feminismedit
In a 2001 essay, Greenwood discusses Tracy + the Plastics and performances in relation to her feminist beliefs. She explains "When an individual in a marginalized group talks to a recorded image of themselves it empowers the individual to open the door to the understanding and celebration that he/she/it can be deliberate. It is an interaction with a fragment self. By fragment, I mean a cohesive identity that's constructed from different often conflicting, parts of society, culture, and life that we relate to because popular culture has no whole identity to offer its audience other than one that resembles the ruling class. We can come out. And then come out again. We can rearrange our world how we want it."[3] As well "a Tracy + the Plastics performance attempts to destroy the inherent hierarchical dynamic of those "spaces"by placing as much importance on the video image (the Plastics) as the live performer (Tracy). The front interacts with the back in a way that emphasizes their equality and the dependence on one another to dismantle their roles and prescribed boundaries."[3]
Reviewsedit
In Art Forum International (Summer 2005), Johanna Burton describes Tracy + the Plastics as "lo-fi, split-personality hallucination". As well the band members "are all only slightly modified renditions of Greenwood herself- less alter egos or highly evolved personae that seemingly playacted brand of critical levity operates to question, affirm, and confuse both existential and constructed notions of 'the self'.".[12]
In 2004, cultural critic Sara Marcus, writing for The Advocate, said that Tracy + the Plastics's performance art "successfully crosses borders between high art and pop music." Marcus described the act's 2004 album Culture for Pigeon as "elecntronic dance punk" with "complex rhythmic sensibilities" and "increasingly off-kilter beats." [1]
^. Archived from the original on 2016-11-12. Retrieved 2017-04-05.
^. Archived from the original on 2016-11-12. Retrieved 2017-04-04.
External linksedit
Official Wynne Greenwood site with Tracy + the Plastics information and archives
November 23, 2023
tracy, plastics, this, biography, living, person, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, adding, reliable, sources, contentious, material, about, living, persons, that, unsourced, poorly, sourced, must, removed, immediately, from, article, t. This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification Please help by adding reliable sources Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page especially if potentially libelous Find sources Tracy the Plastics news newspapers books scholar JSTOR September 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message Tracy the Plastics is an American electropop and video project group from Olympia Washington United States 1 The members include Nikki Romanos on keyboard Cola on drums and Tracy as the lead vocals Although the name implied the group was made up of a lead singer and back up musicians all three characters were performed by Wynne Greenwood a lesbian feminist artist using video projection 2 who calls herself a representative of the lesbo for disco generation Tracy the PlasticsOriginOlympia Washington United StatesGenresElectropopMembersWynne Greenwood Contents 1 About 2 Performances 3 Interaction between Greenwood and the Plastics 4 Feminism 5 Reviews 6 Discography 6 1 Compilation tracks 7 References 8 External linksAbout editTracy the Plastics music consisted of a Boss DR 5 drum machine an Akai 612 disc sampler and combines lo fi filmmaking performance art Devo styled songs and feminist and queer politics in an entertaining package During live performances Nikki and Cola would perform and exist only through projected video previously recorded and through the performance the band members would communicate with each other 3 Tracy the Plastics was the ultimate result of two other projects Wynne created the first of these being called The Tooth then The OK Miss Suit Tracy the Plastics came from this choose your own adventure murder mystery movie I was writing The Plastics were a group of girls who ran a pawn shop and replaced parts of themselves with hyper colorful pieces of plastic Their town was never ending gray drab surrounded by super tall mountains that people lived on top of Bits of plastic debris would fall down the mountains and the Plastics Nikki Cola Tracy and Honeyface would find and use the debris like a red toothpaste cap for a tooth or something like that 4 5 In 2005 Tracy the Plastics recorded a version of the Lesbians on Ecstasy song Summer Luv which was released on that band s LP of remixes Giggles In The Dark Performances edit2004 Whitney Biennale 6 2005 The Room with Fawn Krieger in the Kitchen New York This performance was meant to re imagine the 1970s feminist consciousness by exploring the notions of identity and communication and question the present state of radical feminism A way of finding homes within a home by constructing a grey area for feminists 7 2006 The Room with Fawn Krieger in The Moore Space Miami A continued performance of The ROOM from New York where the audience and is connected to the performance space in a domestic setting attempting to interrupt linear narratives and physical space questioning binary systems emphasizing process and raising conversations between the temporary and the permanent 8 In June 2006 Wynne Greenwood called an end to the Tracy The Plastics project 2014 Stacy at Cooley Gallery in Portland Oregon The reform of Tracy the Plastics as way of nurturing Tracy the Plastics into contact and conversation with its own future creating a queering space of intimacy humor and hope 9 September 2015 January 2016 Kelly at New Museum in New York Bringing into dialogue with more recent work exploring the artists interest in what she called Culture Healing Kelly considered the poetics of the pause while mining electric gaps of meaning in conversation and offering possibilities for feminist queer and other experimental models of collaboration and dialogue 10 Interaction between Greenwood and the Plastics editThe performances are a mix between the music that they produce and conversations between Tracy Nikki and Cola as well as the various thing that they do during their performances like Colas losing her wallet during a performance Nikki forgetting how to start a song not from the middle with a disinterested gaze and all three trying to figure out where the president lives all of which happened during a performance at The Trunkspace in Phoenix AZ in 2002 The performances are perfectly timed together as Greenwood acts out each role with precise timing Through the projections all three members are linked together in the same space like a basement or a car Greenwood discusses everyday things with her comrades as Tracy like the hair on her nipple getting off of work and dying logs a play on words for dialogue again taking place at The Trunkspace in Phoenix AZ in 2002 The three band mates act as though they are all physically present and sharing the same space like Cola asking if she can borrow Tracy s can of spray paint and speak as if they were actual friends like Cola asking if the sign was straight then spraying two female symbols underneath to make it less straight more gay from Spring Tour Performance in 2001 They perform a sound track with one another and tell complain when they find each other annoying Spring Tour Performance 2001 During one performance Nikki and Cola asked to be called Nicole instead of their actual names as if Tracy wasn t aware that they had changed their minds at some point from World performance 2004 Greenwood crafted each character to be their own individual person more different from the last She somehow created a friend group that meshes well together and defends their queer bodies and politics while making music with an attractive beat Tracy Cola and Nikki give each other subtle glances throughout their performances and stop promptly when someone needs a break or needs to say something like if they know another friend from World performance in 2004 She has created a background and lives outside of performing for each of the girls like the fact that Cola broke her wrist and is wearing a cast while the other girls are not and how they each came out differently like how Nikki came out through while Tracy came out over the phone from World performance 2004 Greenwood has managed to create a band with multiple personalities and figures from one woman and make the experience feel like a real performance from any alternative band During a performance Cola blanks out and Tracy repeatedly has to call her name to capture her attention from Can You Pause That For A Second from 2003 During the very same video the camera angle changes to move as Tracy would so that the audience cans see what she would essentially see Tracy and Nikki later on in the video cover Cola from the audience s eyes as she changes and that would have been inappropriate to do so in front of strangers Greenwood has made it so that Cola and Nikki are conscious of the universe in which they do not exist and make them sensitive to the real needs of people like the act of privacy and shame 11 Feminism editIn a 2001 essay Greenwood discusses Tracy the Plastics and performances in relation to her feminist beliefs She explains When an individual in a marginalized group talks to a recorded image of themselves it empowers the individual to open the door to the understanding and celebration that he she it can be deliberate It is an interaction with a fragment self By fragment I mean a cohesive identity that s constructed from different often conflicting parts of society culture and life that we relate to because popular culture has no whole identity to offer its audience other than one that resembles the ruling class We can come out And then come out again We can rearrange our world how we want it 3 As well a Tracy the Plastics performance attempts to destroy the inherent hierarchical dynamic of those spaces by placing as much importance on the video image the Plastics as the live performer Tracy The front interacts with the back in a way that emphasizes their equality and the dependence on one another to dismantle their roles and prescribed boundaries 3 Reviews editIn Art Forum International Summer 2005 Johanna Burton describes Tracy the Plastics as lo fi split personality hallucination As well the band members are all only slightly modified renditions of Greenwood herself less alter egos or highly evolved personae that seemingly playacted brand of critical levity operates to question affirm and confuse both existential and constructed notions of the self 12 In 2004 cultural critic Sara Marcus writing for The Advocate said that Tracy the Plastics s performance art successfully crosses borders between high art and pop music Marcus described the act s 2004 album Culture for Pigeon as elecntronic dance punk with complex rhythmic sensibilities and increasingly off kilter beats 1 Discography editTurn Video Heartcore Records 2000 Muscler s Guide to Videonics Chainsaw Records 2001 Forever Sucks EP Chainsaw Records 2002 Culture for Pigeon Troubleman Unlimited Records 2004 Knit a Claw Re Do Too Pure Records 2004 Real Damage Split EP with The Gossip Dim Mak Records 2005 Compilation tracks edit Oh Maria Calling All Kings amp Queens Mr Lady Records 2001 Dead Face Nothing Fancy Just Music 7 NFJM Records 2003 References edit Tracy the plastics Archived from the original on 2016 01 31 Retrieved 2016 01 16 Exploding Plastics Inevitable Artforum 23 November 2015 a b c Tracy the plastics Archived from the original on 2016 01 31 Retrieved 2016 01 16 Archived copy Archived from the original on 2010 03 20 Retrieved 2016 01 16 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link Venus Tracy the plastics 8 May 2006 Archived from the original on 2006 05 08 Retrieved 9 September 2020 Whitney Biennial 2004 whitney org Retrieved 2021 03 11 Untitled Document Roomproject info Retrieved 2017 04 04 Tracy the Plastics and Fawn Krieger at The Moore Space Miami Artmap com Retrieved 2017 04 04 College Reed Cooley Gallery Exhibition Stacy Reed edu Retrieved 2017 04 04 Wynne Greenwood Kelly Newmuseum org Retrieved 2017 04 04 Tracy the plastics Archived from the original on 2016 11 12 Retrieved 2017 04 05 Tracy the plastics Archived from the original on 2016 11 12 Retrieved 2017 04 04 External links editOfficial Wynne Greenwood site with Tracy the Plastics information and archives Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Tracy 2B the Plastics amp oldid 1177840775, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
