This performance was a response to the November 2010 elections in the US, and what they foretell.
My performance was on November 3rd, the day after the elections that brought back a majority of Republicans to the Congress. While the news was not unexpected, it nevertheless gave me a sinking feeling when I awoke that morning to read the election results in the newspaper. I couldn’t help but do a performance called U.S. Domestic Policy as a result…
I had looked at Grace Exhibition Space the evening before, and been intrigued by the window that overlooked the street and the elevated subway. In the morning I decided that I would open the curtains, and use the city’s activity as the backdrop for my performance. With the help of an intern, I purchased quantities of beautiful ripe fruit – plums, oranges, kiwi, and a bag of red peppers, as well as a hammer and a water glass.
As I began the performance, the city collaborated with me. Just as I pulled back the curtains to reveal the street, helicopters began circling the building, creating an appropriately ominous soundscape for the entire performance…
The performance was a systematic act of destruction. I sat at the table and first raised a line of red peppers into the air. Then I methodically destroyed the tableful of fresh ripe fruit. I started with the hammer, but quickly began using only my bare hands. It took a surprising amount of time to crush each piece. Juice spread over the table, and the smell of oranges permeated the room. I continually swept the detritus to the floor as the pile of fruit was reduced, until only a tall glass of water remained on the table. After taking a long sip of water, I carefully set the glass down, and slowly, excruciatingly slowly, inched the glass of water across to the far side of the table, where it hovered for several moments half off the edge, before finally crashing to the floor.
The sound of the helicopters continued to circle.
Live Action New York 2010, curated by Jonas Stampe, took place November 3-7, at Grace Exhibition Space in Brooklyn, and Scandinavia House in Manhattan.
