‘The Heart Of The Matter’

In this performance Whitford acts the clown reading jokes from a joke book, smoking exploding cigarettes, drinking and bantering with the audience whilst weeks blindfolded reaches out into space trying to find him, a bucket of bloody hearts by her side that she gently pelts and appeals to him with. An incessant questioning or plea repeatedly ignored until the stale mate is broken and they transition into ritualistic actions of cleansing, healing, mending and making good on emotional and material planes, putting themselves and each other back on track.

Weeks repeatedly climbs the ladder her jewellery and heels catching the light as she stuffs the hearts into her velvet cleavage, falling backwards and allowing them to slide down her chest and onto the floor as incense swirls through her hair. An ever present sexuality as defence and a prayer against darkness. The performance revolves around breaking patterns and finding a way through a time of difficulty, illness, hardship and drinking too much with faith, love and tenacity. It comes out of living on a leaky boat accessed by a ladder whilst wanting to make a nest and achieve some security and the experience of unraveling but ultimately surviving.

Video: Click here…
LIVE Biennale, VIVO Media Arts, Vancouver, Canada, Sept, 2015 livebiennale.ca
Sound score by Alice Kemp germseed.blogspot.co.uk