about
my name is corey smith
i make performances, sounds, texts, dances, and situations. i write letters, poems, songs, eulogies, and words to put in mouths. i perform. when i perform, i do so as a body, a human being in front of other human beings. i perform as myself - a person with a history that is multivalent, interests that are far reaching, and a body that has a weird birthmark on its stomach. i sometimes perform as a voice or as a maker of sound. in other lives, i perform as a trumpet player, an improvisor, a dancer, or a teacher.
my work sits at the intersection of text, music, and performance.
i am a classically trained composer, but i am much more interested in an art that obscures the boundaries between worlds: words that are sound, music that is image, body that is text. i am interested in the blurring of history and mythology, the similarities between truth and subjectivity, and how you can explode a pop song.
i am in search of a personal and regional identity that contains contradictions. i am in search of a performance that is peculiar and joyous and queer and aware.
sometimes my work is about capitalism and other times it is about cornfields.
i live in chicago.
i like to make things with other people. it is very important to me.
if you would like to make things with me, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!