A CUTTING IN: The response to trauma is an ongoing process. It reshapes a person in every way. This piece, a cutting in, uses the concept of baking, ie. ’women’s work' as a reference point for material and movement. The process, cutting in, of course, is the act of combining a fat with dry material such as flour.
As performance begins, the body is covered with flour. By doing so, the figure mirrors the color of the wall. This is in reference to the experience of victimhood- one often wants to disappear- from their partner, from others, and often even themselves.
The performance then proceeds to pack forty pounds lard around vulnerable areas of the body- primarily the neck and shoulders, changing the body’s silhouette. As an example of somatics, anxiety and emotional damage manifest as physical weight. This emotional weight subconsciously builds physical armor in the body, for some victims not longer looking like themselves and for most, not feeling like themselves.
As the performance continues, the lard melts over the body making it difficult to manage. It breaks apart and melts over the body suggesting the difficulty it is to manage. Movement implies self comfort while the lard slips off the body and onto the ground.
The audience entered and left this durational performance at Grace Exhibition Space on their own time. This is much like the experience of a victim of abuse. Most contend with the emotional damage privately with a public that is unaware of the extremity of their life experience.
Performed at Grace Exhibition Space (NY) as part of ITINERANT PAF, curated by Hector Canonge
Duration: 2 hours
Date: May 21, 2019
Garment: Martha Posner
photo credit: Adriano Farinella, Melissa Grey, Miao Jiaxin
