Dance With Rocks
Dance With Rocks 1
I collected rocks that weighed about 15 kilos each and took them along with my recording gear to Tempelhofer Field. It was about 0’C with a little snow on the ground. I threw for nine and a half minutes before my hands became so numb that I could not feel the rocks as I lifted them, this signalled the end of the piece. I sent the video to a few performance artist friends for feedback, they suggested that I explore endurance performance art, repetition and exhaustion. They also suggested that I shouldn’t try to control or compose the performance, to let the situation and my body talk.
Performance and video: 9 minutes 48 seconds. 04.01.21.
Dance With Rocks 2
On the field it was again 0’C, with a light wind, a little snow on the ground and falling. I focused on endurance; cardio stamina, strength of moving the rocks, and ability to endure the cold. This day I was experiencing powerful strength, along with a reduced ability to feel physical and emotional sensations. Concerned that my hands would go numb in about ten minutes, I decided to throw the rocks harder and faster so that I could reach exhaustion before my hands became unusable. After 41 minutes I did not feel exhausted, but had buried one of the rocks into the ground, which signalled the end of the piece.
Performance and video: 41 minutes 12 seconds. Video Edit: 16 minutes 19 seconds. Joseph Tremblay - camera. 15.01.21.
Dance With Rocks 3
Whenever I see beautiful intense weather, I want to be inside of it, to experience it fully, to become it. There was a snow storm on Tempelhofer Field, the coldest day I had seen in my five years of living in Berlin. -10’C with wind at 13knots and gusts at 23knots (adjusted -20’C). After six minutes my hands had become unbearably numb, signalling the end of the piece.
Performance: 6 minutes 15 seconds. Video: 3 minutes 5 seconds. Joseph Tremblay - camera. 08.02.21.
I collected rocks that weighed about 15 kilos each and took them along with my recording gear to Tempelhofer Field. It was about 0’C with a little snow on the ground. I threw for nine and a half minutes before my hands became so numb that I could not feel the rocks as I lifted them, this signalled the end of the piece. I sent the video to a few performance artist friends for feedback, they suggested that I explore endurance performance art, repetition and exhaustion. They also suggested that I shouldn’t try to control or compose the performance, to let the situation and my body talk.
Performance and video: 9 minutes 48 seconds. 04.01.21.
Dance With Rocks 2
On the field it was again 0’C, with a light wind, a little snow on the ground and falling. I focused on endurance; cardio stamina, strength of moving the rocks, and ability to endure the cold. This day I was experiencing powerful strength, along with a reduced ability to feel physical and emotional sensations. Concerned that my hands would go numb in about ten minutes, I decided to throw the rocks harder and faster so that I could reach exhaustion before my hands became unusable. After 41 minutes I did not feel exhausted, but had buried one of the rocks into the ground, which signalled the end of the piece.
Performance and video: 41 minutes 12 seconds. Video Edit: 16 minutes 19 seconds. Joseph Tremblay - camera. 15.01.21.
Dance With Rocks 3
Whenever I see beautiful intense weather, I want to be inside of it, to experience it fully, to become it. There was a snow storm on Tempelhofer Field, the coldest day I had seen in my five years of living in Berlin. -10’C with wind at 13knots and gusts at 23knots (adjusted -20’C). After six minutes my hands had become unbearably numb, signalling the end of the piece.
Performance: 6 minutes 15 seconds. Video: 3 minutes 5 seconds. Joseph Tremblay - camera. 08.02.21.
