Try and Make It Work is a performance that features Kleinhans sitting in an airplane seat with standard airplane seat belts. At the age of 16, they experienced their first flight in which the airplane’s seat belt did not fit when fully extended. As a teenager, asking for an extender was an embarrassing trauma that the artist did not want to experience. So, they flew from Atlanta, GA to Jackson, MS without having the seat belt fastened. In 2018, Kleinhans was on a flight and the seat was assigned in an exit row. They asked for a seat belt extender and was informed that if they sat in the exit row, they could not have an extender. Immediately after, the attendant asked if they could “try and make it work” without it and walked off. These attempts resulted in multiple bruises in the area where the belt constricted their body.

This performance is a reflection on this moment. Kleinhans sits with a spotlight on them while the flight attendant’s departure speech is recited. The space also features belt extenders collected from all of Kleinhans’s flights that have required them asking for the extenders. As the viewer walks through the space, they are given the opportunity to read testimonies of the results from the request. The anxiety rises as the plane engines become louder, signaling take-off. However, their belt has yet to be fastened.

2019

Miami, FL