Rock Paper Sisyphess Lizard Spock takes its inspiration from the hand game Rock Paper Scissors and the Greek myths of Sisyphus and the Hydra of Lerna. Rock Paper Scissors is a zero-sum game that has three possible outcomes: a draw, a win or a loss. Two software engineers’ expansion of the game included lizard and Spock, greatly increasing its complexity. Territorial positions are immutable in this seemingly innocent game. In Claudia Bucher’s installation-performance, where Sisyphess replaces scissors, these rigid partisan factions are re-imagined as components of a micro ecosystem requiring cooperation, not competition. The parts must each do their share: they must function cooperatively in a state of symbiosis. Claudia Bucher is a Yucca Valley-based conceptual artist known for her performative sculptural installation projects. Her work has been exhibited at a variety of Southern California art spaces and institutions. She is currently transforming a high desert property into a climate crisis sanctuary.

Artist website: www.instagram.com/clauditopia