Silent, the artist stands. Dressed in white, in a white room, he remains for an hour. Eyes closed, he is aware of each audience member entering only by the sound of the door. Instructions outside dictate:
ONE VIEWER AT A TIME
WAIT HERE FOR 10 SECONDS
ENTER FOR 10 SECONDS
LEAVE
When an individual enters, a few seconds pass before the artist collapses, sudden limpness that results in the slap of flesh to wooden floor and the stillness of a fallen body. In this state he remains until the viewer's departure, before righting himself once again, ready for the next fall. Does he want to fall? Does the audience make him? Does he want to hurt himself? Unanswered questions. This piece illustrates feelings of personal failure and self deprecation. Relationships, careers, plans - ended in the self destructive mechanisms of a human being. We fall. I think the atmosphere created was effective - a tension, a fearful curiosity and an expectation. Hinted at by the title, the audience have the beginnings of an idea of what events may unfold but remain surprised nonetheless. Some try to catch my body on its way, some scream, some attempt conversation. Most are amused in the aftermath yet there lies a trace of somberness beneath. It is slapstick, yet unsettling. The clinical room, the physical pain, the unknown. This is comedy and this is tragedy.
ONE VIEWER AT A TIME
WAIT HERE FOR 10 SECONDS
ENTER FOR 10 SECONDS
LEAVE
When an individual enters, a few seconds pass before the artist collapses, sudden limpness that results in the slap of flesh to wooden floor and the stillness of a fallen body. In this state he remains until the viewer's departure, before righting himself once again, ready for the next fall. Does he want to fall? Does the audience make him? Does he want to hurt himself? Unanswered questions. This piece illustrates feelings of personal failure and self deprecation. Relationships, careers, plans - ended in the self destructive mechanisms of a human being. We fall. I think the atmosphere created was effective - a tension, a fearful curiosity and an expectation. Hinted at by the title, the audience have the beginnings of an idea of what events may unfold but remain surprised nonetheless. Some try to catch my body on its way, some scream, some attempt conversation. Most are amused in the aftermath yet there lies a trace of somberness beneath. It is slapstick, yet unsettling. The clinical room, the physical pain, the unknown. This is comedy and this is tragedy.