Christine Gwillim (CG): What is poolboy00? 

Sam Mayer (SM): poolboy00 is an experimental reality show/interactive memoir/talk show about my online alter ego: poolboy00. The project began on Twitch in 2020 and has since bled offline. It is an attempt to churn every aspect of my life into content, live, in real time, using everything, and everyone, already in it. A series of seemingly random, meandering conversations slowly take the shape of something intentional and sinister. The numbed-eye feeling of being awake at 2am with too many tabs open. poolboy00 is an ongoing, durational performance that catalogues the slow and brittle process of turning myself into an internet object slash super-niche micro celebrity. “poolboy: I WANT TO LISTEN” asks, how does this make you feel? In your body? It's equal parts shit post and self-flagellation.

CG: Why did you decide to pivot from virtual to in-person development and performances? 

SM: Offline and online don't really inhabit separate spheres so why should my work? 

CG: What are you most excited about for your upcoming residency at Co-Lab next week? 

SM: Creating work specifically for the Glissman culvert galley. Treating the gallery as my studio. Inviting gallery-goers to observe, participate, or simply exist alongside my own process in real time. Then I am excited to pull it all together for the performance on Saturday.  It's one thing to invite risk and danger for myself, it's another thing to include everyone else in that invitation. What I love about inhabiting poolboy00 is sharing myself, all of myself, with everyone. Seeing how much I can take and, alternately, how much you can give. 

CG: You invited friend and collaborator Julia Mounsey to join you for the residency, in the past you've had many guests involved in each season, but this time she's the only one. What makes your collaboration with her important for this iteration? 

SM: This performance is all about giving and receiving feedback. Am I a good friend? Am I a good collaborator? How are you feeling? Are you enjoying the performance? What could I do to improve? What do you want to do to my body? Julia and I will use our own, highly specific relationship, as a way to invite the audience into these questions. At the heart of this project is a fear of discovering just how sturdy our relationship actually is. And can it survive “poolboy: I WANT TO LISTEN”?  The project has always been about inviting risk and troubling notions of authenticity and realism. But what about when another person is involved? And then an audience? By performing my relationship with Julia in the gallery we invite audiences to consider the ways in which their many selves interact with the many selves of those they love.

CG: Will there be a virtual component to the show, or is it all IRL? 

SM: There are digital aspects to the performance but it's not virtual in the sense that it won't be streamed on Twitch. To experience the chaos you'll have to be at the gallery.

CG: When is poolboy00 open to the public, and most importantly, will there be a pool? 

SM: poolboy00’s free open rehearsals will begin at 9pm CT every night July 18 - July 22 at Co-Lab Projects’ Glissman culvert in Austin. The final performance and party is Saturday, July 23 at 8:30pm. Everything is free but you can RSVP to the performance here. There will be a pool so wear something you can get wet. I will be getting wet.  

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Visit Sam’s website here.

Follow Sam on Instagram here.

Interviewed by Christine Gwillim. Check out more written by Christine here.