For the past seven years, I have been creating work that is somewhat hard to classify. On the surface, some of them may simply appear to be shows that I've produced which incorporate performance, live music and sometimes a party atmosphere. In reality, they are concepts that I've come up with that one would think to be the least commercially viable idea for any type of success or financial return. And with these "losing" or "bad ideas", my work, like every product available to man, is to convince an audience that this is something they need in their lives.

This ongoing project includes conceptual musical acts, "forgotten" celebrities, non-existent movies and unusual events.

All of these works were and continue to be collaborative pieces in which I cast performers around a central theme and go from there. The other elements including photography, copywriting, graphic design, marketing, advertising, promotion and project management are all done by myself.

The blurring of fantasy and reality is a central concept behind creating these works. The mere act of people talking about one of my made up characters gives it more life with each mention. If there is press or publicity attached to one of my projects, it begins to take on an even greater life...it takes on a new reality that goes way beyond my initial germ of an idea.

As I continue to blur fantasy and reality, my future goals for this project include blurring the line between commercial and conceptual art by introducing more products, most of which would provoke conversation regarding the wasteful nature of our society and our need to consume more than we need. And as I've done with past work, I will continue to explore the fear tactics of advertising and the psychological elements associated with consumerism. And in the end, I will convince the public that I do have something to offer that they want, that they didn't know existed.
  • Joyce DeSalvo
    Joyce DeSalvo
    In November 2006, I debuted a new character called Joyce DeSalvo. With the help of long time collaborator, Nikki LeFaye, Joyce was created out of what we considered to be the most "uncool" elements. She was an aging travel agent who also sang. To make Joyce DeSalvo even more unappealing, I named her band The Telemarketers. But with a little hype and promotion, we were able to get some local press and a buzz going about Joyce. When she walked on stage for the first time, she was greeted by a throng of fans and a small army of girls chanting her name. Joyce DeSalvo and the Telemarketers went on to perform a few more gigs around town and is ready to come out of retirement when we need her. Image: Baltimore Examiner, Nov. 17, 2006
  • Wilma Martinez
    Wilma Martinez
    OutLoud, June 2009 Wilma Martinez has been an ongoing project for 6-7 years, during which time I have been talking a lot about her and presenting proof that she exists. Even my closest friends have thought or continue to think that she is some exotic woman I met years ago who periodically comes back into my life for the sole purpose of photographing her. This actual article about Wilma was printed in Baltimore OutLoud in 2009 and gave 1,000s more people insight and belief that Wilma Martinez lives. She clearly does live and continues to perform with her band, model and make films.
  • Wilma At Artscape
    Wilma At Artscape
    July, 2009 I created a booth at Artscape which convinced many people of Wilma's existence. Utilizing my graphic design skills, I designed many movie stills, clippings, modeling tear sheets, album and book covers and more. In addition, I recruited several artists to design and illustrate their own pieces with Wilma as the central theme to further "prove" that this forgotten star exists. Lawrence Snelly contributed a Wilma doll which came packaged and complete with a sculpted face and fashion accessories. Other artists contributed stencils, paintings and illustrations in their unique style...all of which added to the illusion and fantasy of Wilma Martinez.
  • Wilma Tabloid
    Wilma Tabloid
    2009 Another piece I designed for the Wilma Exhibit at Artscape. In this one, I recruited photographers in San Francisco and Winnipeg to act as Wilma impostors, furthering the concept of Wilma's existence and the idea others trying to usurp her fame.
  • Wet Dust movie still
    Wet Dust movie still
    2009 This was one of many movie stills I created and had printed as part of my ongoing Wilma Martinez project.
  • Little Wilma Album Cover
    Little Wilma Album Cover
    2009 I created this piece for the Wilma Exhibit at Artscape. It is a vintage LP cover from Wilma's first recording as a child star.
  • APE FILM STILL
    APE FILM STILL
    2009 APE is a short film I made for the 48 Hour Film Festivals collaboration with the BMA and their exhibit, Edgar Allan Poe: A Baltimore Icon. The film stars Renee Reabe, Brian Gilbert and Wilma Martinez. The film premiered at the Baltimore Museum of Art on Dec. 4, 2009 and can be seen here: http://www.defekto.com/ape.html
  • The Savaginas
    The Savaginas
    The Savaginas were created in 2006 as a novelty act for one of my events. I touted them as the "world's hairiest go-go dancers" and watched as crowds went crazy. They went through various incarnations with at least six different castings and performed numerous times between 2006-2007, including being asked to perform for other local bands and with the legendary rapper, Blowfly, on two separate occasions. In this photo is the classic line-up featuring Liz Marave, Nick the Chick and Nikki LeFaye.
  • Wig Drive
    Wig Drive
    January 2007. As a concept for a party, I wanted to offer something unheard of and utterly ridiculous, yet enticing. The answer was a Wig Drive. I had to continuously explain what it was because there was no such thing until me and my collaborative partner, Jason Dove put this together. Q: What is a Wig Drive? A: It's like a canned food drive, but you bring wigs. The event took place on a blizzardy night and despite the very bad weather conditions, lots of people came out and brought lots of wigs.
  • Nightmare Before Thanksgiving
    Nightmare Before Thanksgiving
    Nov. 2006 By the time I put this event together, I had developed a good reputation for the unexpected. This was my second Nightmare Before Thanksgiving event and I am convinced that the huge success behind it had everything to do with the eight characters I created to help promote it (four are pictured). This was a prime example of collaboration reaching great heights with performers and musicians all taking to the stage for one performance that went flawlessly.