Following an ambulatory performance across Philadelphia the day before, Wilmer Wilson IV inhabits installations in his exhibition at the ICA and even embeds himself within walls of the institution itself. Wilson will activate these concealed spaces drawing on an episode from his own life, when, over the course of several weeks, he could hear a squirrel moving inside the walls of his home.

Please note: this performance includes walnuts. Those who are allergic should use caution and consider refraining from entering the gallery.

This performance is presented as part of Wilmer Wilson IV: SKIRL!, ICA’s inaugural R+D (research and development) residency project. During his residency, Wilson consulted with experts in the field and historical records to trace the squirrel’s parallel path as both pet and pest, as well as its insurgent or rebellious life among humans. Squirrels have been known to build their nests, called dreys, within human-made structures, refusing to stay in parks or woods. Bringing together monumental dreys, memorials to historical squirrels, human-scale drawings, and other sculptural works, SKIRL! engages with the creature’s uncanny ability to inhabit and repurpose human architecture in ways that resist control and often introduce chaos and comedy. Against this backdrop, Wilson explores broader issues of access, control, and boundaries that define urban space.  

Wilmer Wilson IV: SKIRL! is the inaugural R+D (research and development) residency project at ICA. R+D is a program that supports artist-driven inquiry from its earliest stages. Each project’s jumping-off point starts with a central question posed by the artist, prompting dialogues with thinkers and makers across disciplines at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and beyond. Beholden to no single format or outcome, residencies can manifest in a variety of forms within the institution and well outside of its walls. 

R+D is designed to be a limber testing ground, a program to stretch the bounds of artistic practice, and a generative platform for new propositions to emerge. 

Support

Support for ICA’s inaugural R+D research residency, Wilmer Wilson IV: SKIRL!, is provided by the Buddy Taub Foundation and the Edna W. Andrade Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation. Additional support is provided by The Study at University City.