FLOCK/ MIRAGE A mirage is defined as an optical illusion caused by atmospheric conditions, usually the refraction of light in heated air. The most well-known example is probably the false appearance of a distant sheet of water in a desert, or on a hot road.
I used 3,500 razorblades to create the illusion of a pond onto which a decoy duck could be placed.
predict or divine future events.
One could well argue that extispicy was indeed one of the earliest forms of autopsy performed by knowledgeable individuals in order to help determine general ecological information about an area – information and expertise that would no doubt be valuable to nomadic peoples.
the reading by hand: the decoy’s neck is twisted more than once in order to follow the text.
Once the action was complete I stepped barefoot onto the mirage (thus metaphorically walking on water) and placed the duck in the center of the illusion.
CROSSING OVER A short 100-word text is recited with my lips close to the flame of a candle. The flame dances around as I recite the words. Each time a word is said too loudly the flame dies and the candle must be re-lit again.
The text was based on the idea of a soldier stuck on a battlefield without a gun, and how, in a moment of doubt he considers the possibility of killing the soldier walking right in front of him and to take his weapon for his own protection.
1 An apparition, a ghost, esp. one of a terrifying nature or aspect. ▸ b In Epicurean philosophy, an image supposed to emanate from a corporeal thing.
2 fig. A haunting or terrifying presentiment. Freq. foll. by of. ▸ b A person resembling a ghost in appearance.
– On average there are 206 bones in the human body.
This piece of writing was first presented as a performance on 8 May 2009 at University College London. It is exactly 100 words long and each word is engraved on an ordinary stainless steel razorblade (making for a total of 100 blades). The work is read aloud during the performance connecting the mind, body and text in one fluid action.
The text functions as a form if ‘incantation’ broadly defined as a form of ‘magical singing’, a spoken ‘charm’/‘chant’ through which to raise a spirit. The text must therefore be must be spoken aloud, or ‘intoned’, in order to fulfill its purpose.
‘Afloat in Tethers Row’ is a meeting of sorts between various elements including audience, artist, object, text, voice, the value of chance and the spirit of South African poet Ingrid Jonker to whom the piece is also dedicated.