An
installation and short performance over four nights
at
SHUNT
Lounge, London in March 2008.
Held
alongside an exhibition of photographs from the Domestic
series (projected onto six screens in rotation).
Situated
within a dark labyrinth of arches and tunnels, and
set in a dimly-lit, 1940's style sitting room with
an empty childs paddling pool in the centre and a
washing line crossing the scene.
On
each of the four nights, I would walk into the space,
wearing a dressing-gown and a towel on my head, carrying
buckets of warm water to fill the pool. A kettle would
be whistling on a small camping stove. I would eventually
switch the gas off, and then switch the radio on,
and start singing along to the tune of 'Dream A Little
Dream of Me' while attending to a crowd of photo-framed
men atop a chest of drawers. After I'd hugged, kissed,
caressed and sung to these frames, I placed them in
a drawer and slammed it firmly shut. I would then
test the water in the pool. Satisfied with the temperature,
I would slip out of my robe and towel, and reach to
the washing line for a rather matrimonial-looking,
white dress, covered in unused teabags. After putting
the dress on, I would fumble for shoes and jewelry
to accessorise, all the while singing along...
After
this ritual, and as the song crescendoed to an end,
I would ceremoniuosly enter the pool in my garb, turning
the water and my dress a deep brown colour.
Click
on the images above, or here,
to see photos of the performance and exhibition (the
page requires JavaScript
and Flash
Player).
Pictures
are copyright
©2008
Emma Jenkinson, James Snell and Kesera at Shunt.
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