image: Gerben Vernhout
Thinking alongside minimal yet consciousness-expanding gestures (reference to Gino De Dominicis work as part of Tinker) and my methodology in re-enactments, I take Faith Wilding’s work Waiting as a starting piece. In 1972, as part of the program at the Womanhouse (LA), Wilding performed a 15-minute scripted monologue. The monologue, which is more of a poem, deals with the concept of passing time and how particular events in a woman’s life have been gender-assigned, mapping the expectations placed upon women as they grow in a male-dominated society. On March 8th, 1978, in Tilburg, an activist women’s group, Hortensia, from Groningen, re-performed Wilding’s scripted monologue in Dutch. Hortensia re-performs the piece, shedding another perspective on the importance of this piece. They bring in a collective and localized voice. This way, presenting a culturally situated performance.
Postperformance remark; with each time reading a poem all over again, having my feet submerged in water and sitting on a very uncomfortable stool, after 1 hour of non stop reading, I began to feel as if one poem is a lifetime I am, in a time sensitive framework experiencing; starting to walk, to talk, getting first menstruation, first boyfriend, first kiss, wedding, wedding night, childbirth, waiting, getting older, seeing friends dying, husband dying, waiting to sleep… & again and again and again.
Postperformance remark; with each time reading a poem all over again, having my feet submerged in water and sitting on a very uncomfortable stool, after 1 hour of non stop reading, I began to feel as if one poem is a lifetime I am, in a time sensitive framework experiencing; starting to walk, to talk, getting first menstruation, first boyfriend, first kiss, wedding, wedding night, childbirth, waiting, getting older, seeing friends dying, husband dying, waiting to sleep… & again and again and again.
4 hours
part of Tinker, VHDG, Leeuwarden, NL
curated: Michiel Teeuw
curated: Michiel Teeuw