I need to write down some of the perpetual succour pre performative processes that are happening this week, and the cross relation incidents that all feed into each other creating a mix of things that all make up.. the work

I was growing increasingly anxious last week when my new chain didn’t arrive. I had spent considerable time researching chain diameters and weights when finally having concluded that my beautiful chain from kerry- see below is just too heavy to use for a 1/2 hour. It must weigh about 90/100kg, and while I can heave it along I cannot do much more, and I have already sustained a few finger crushing incidents from trying to manoeuvre it. See below image of my beautiful chain. Thinking about it becoming a sculpture in its own right, if positioned and ‘twirled’ in the right way it could be very beautiful:

So then ordering another chain – not thinking about cost of all these chains and what might be done with them afterwards.. consumed as usual with getting the right materials and tools for the work. new chain never arrived last week, and finally calling screw fix on the phone and speaking to young English lady who was convinced my name and what was on her website order were different things and finally her deducing it was my accent that made her think this.. her then assuring me that the lost chain had made it through customs and would be at screw fix ennis by the afternoon and I would be called. this then of course not happening, I visited screw fix that evening to be told by the young chap behind the counter that the phone people have no clue and that the chain was a lost order and I would need to reorder. panicking, reordering and getting on with weekend family stuff- getting home from a fraught school drop this morning in the rain to be met by cardboard package on the doorstep- the new chain had arrived! I opened and joyously concluded it would work. thanks be to..

new chain. with feet for proportion and placed on a aesthetically pleasing centra bag

After training this morning (hex bar deadlifts, sledgehammer 10/2s and hanging knee ups) I took my new chain out for a twirl in the rain. How atmospheric! given the weather prediction for the weekend this was actually a pretty practical task. I experimented with dragging, pulling, twisting, draping. It feels good -its just big enough to have some clout visually and is heavy enough to hang and drag, but not so heavy that I cant work with it.

now revisiting the proposal to think about how to glue all this together.

Parts of proposal:

I have been thinking for a long time now about chains- heavy chain. Pulling a length of chain- which would weigh about 1/2 my weight or around that- and would need to be at least 3 meters in length- around in a circle. I’d thought about making this action in a large open site, or near water. I pictured the beauty of this large open space and this repetitive action. Potential sites in Mountshannon could include The Old Schoolhouse, Scarriff/ the shore of Lough Derg/ Mountshannon Harbour.

This chain action would be called Perpetual succour. There’s a church in Dublin called Our Lady of Perpetual Succour which I have always been drawn to.

Perpetual succour: ‘assistance and support in times of hardship and distress.’ the dragging of the chain around and around- providing endless relief though the physical hard work from the clamouring voices in our heads. A looping action that has no beginning or end, repeating over and over, redrawing the circle, trying to live in the moment through the action. Making a drawing with the action that only lasts as long as nature allows if made in a lakeshore setting. Or if made in an open ground space then an invisible drawing, as there would be nothing beneath the chain to score. The artist would wear a beautiful dress for the performance to highlight the importance of the occasion, and would sing and talk as they proceed through the action.

So thinking about this. moving through a circle- a perpetual circle of action. slow, ceremonial, procession like. thinking about black face paint painted onto body in loops.. to add to ceremonial aspect. notion of action, mark making. scoring the ground. scoring the skin. slow at first.

would the chain have items hanging off it to represent clamouring voices? idea of making a visual score of the voice in my head to score on the ground with the chain physically. to map out the score of the voice in my head with the chain. A list of all the different clamouring voices, finding a way to map them out visually through sound waves? and draw/mark make this score using the chain as my mark maker.

have spent some time looking at visual ways to map my voice using various software packages. But it feels like the literal mapping might be a bit obvious and too literal. I have a vision of a series of repetitive actions that tell a story or suggest a meaning- when strung together and repeated over and over. And with this comes the duration, the repetitive duration, who it feels to see the start, the middle, the ending. is there a difference? Does it just keep going? is it a slice of neverendingness that one just happens to come across? An allegorical Sisyphus?

considering the relief of action, action which serves to override the voices. the action overrides, and takes over, and allows… flow? fury? release? when repeated over and over is the release extended? does it become something else? is it a dream like sequence that is encountered without meaning, or the need for interpretation? what am I getting out of it? Or is heavily laden with symbolism- the drudgery of work as an ongoing burden. more so the joy of being able to do things- of having a body that lets you lift, achieve, continue. is the essence essentially the pureness of the action- the work- the effort.

Today is Thursday. My last chance of quiet time by myself to confirm the work sequence. a series of repetitive actions, to be developed, looped, move through, gestures and actions that tell a story or suggest meaning. moving with and round and against the chain. thinking about the site and the weather.

TBC

Saturday morning- I knew the chain needed something more to make it work. I thought of materialising the voicees I talked about in the proposal, with smaller chains attached to the big one. this will make for more interesting sounds and movement and is a neat literal translation of the struggle with living with the voices.

chain now adorned with 10 ‘voices’

possible movement patterns to use- bearing in mind chain now quite heavy, as had originally intended.

I have also written a monologue. My need to prepare.. at least I’ve covered all the possibilities. Will read this now and if it doesn’t make me cringe I will possibly use it. Woke up this mooning to steady rain, felt happy. Rain now abated, but likely to come back. I need to get organised now and pack. had decided on outfit but now of course undecided. Long back  dress will catch under my shoes in rain and might trip me up.

Later..