Project Description

Livestock Live, a Dublin Based Performance platform, ran an open call for a performance night called Interruption. It took place on September 18th 2022 at Mart Gallery, Rathmines. I was up in Dublin for the weekend and therefore was able to stay and even not leave early to drive home as is my usual situation, hooray!

the poster said

Please Join us for our first
(in person) event for two years. An evening of performance art.
Ten artists respond to the theme ‘Interruption’.
Sunday, September the 18th, 7pm sharp till 9pm.
Craig Lawlor / Jack Rogers / Niamh Murphy / Olivia Hassett / Terence Erraught / Rachel Macmanus / Selina Bonelli / Tara Carroll. Entry is free

I hadn’t performed in Mart before, and was looking forward to seeing the space and and meeting some already known and some not already known artists.  Francis and Katherine, Directors of Livestock, were lovely and really welcoming and nice. I had proposed a piece called Suspension- see my proposal description below:

Proposed Work:
Title: Suspension.
Description:
A durational performance of approximately 10 – 15 minutes. The performance will consist of
physical gestures broken down into small actions, performed repeatedly, each time
increasing in range intensity and length and also responding to the presence and geography
of the space.
Concept:
A physical performative response to the consideration of suspended time.
I am very affected by how my child reacts when they get hurt. There is a moment I have
experienced many times, when I see my child get a knock or a scrape. They will initially
freeze in shock. This moment is literally a couple of seconds, but feels much longer. In this
moment I watch their pain and grief slowly well up like an overflowing sink. Then an intake
of breath and the wail begins, then grows, swelling in intensity, shock and rage, to a scream.
I want to consider and explore this brief frozen moment before the response, this little
pause, this suspended space which can feel like being in a purgatorial lift. It will inevitably
reach the intended floor, but how long will it take? I am interested in all that can be
contained within this space; its potential and its threat.

The performance went ok- My bro in law, T,  made an audio piece to go with it- exactly what I wanted. Trying to physically get into the moment I described in the proposal was hard, I found myself repeating movements and phrases, trying to feel what it was like, to be in that suspended platform of indrawn breath.. cant explain right now. After a lady said shed enjoyed my interpretative dancing.. not the first time this has happened either :)