Vertigo
At UNI there's a performance art show that takes place once a semester. It never seems to get advertised but usually draws a decent crowd. I decided to write a little bit about my experience this last time. I took a few photos (with permission) and found it to be an interesting experience. I won't talk about every performer, just those that jumped out at me. Fair warning, this is going to be fairly stream of consciousness.
The first performance I found interesting was this one of a girl of many colors painting a white picture. With how the lighting was set up it looked like they were painting a self portrait but only in white. Perhaps it has to do with people ignoring the attributes that make them unique and instead facing conformity. The movements while not robotic were not careless. Very measured and careful. I'm not sure why, but something about this drew me in; I found my self returning to watch over and over.
The next performer I didn't get a picture of, however I'll do my best to describe it. A girl was on a platform with a lighting fixture hugging it looking almost cold. At first it didn't seem like she was doing much, but after a minute or two of watching uncomfortably she stood up suddenly, walked over stared me straight in the eyes and petted my beard. Then she offered a hug and returned to her place. It felt incredibly odd after the fact. In the moment however, it felt very natural.
I neglected to take a picture of the next performer. Again it was a girl, but she was wearing a only a very thin night gown and was surrounded by sand and three bowls. The first bowl had ice. The second Had salt, the third was water. The girl was chanting, no singing, "No more pain from them." and she would turn to each bowl and pick up the bowl apply it's contents to herself. Which with the salt and ice had left several visible spots. It looked painful, however that was likely what she was going for.
Then there was the girl in the photo above. She looked to be on a picnic with some McDonald's, however she was wearing a black mask with no mouth hole she would chew the McDonald's through the mask and let it fall onto her lap. It made me think about consumerism and how marketing affects us. Unsurprisingly, my socialist classmate I bumped into there was convinced it was about capitalism, which in fairness it probably was.
I do want to mention now that I'm thinking about it about. There was a performer who opened the doors to us that at first I thought was interesting. He was wearing a hot-dog suit and playing some beats on a boom box free-styling the entire show. Mostly about what he saw. At first I was impressed, but then he slowly started making some comments that made me uncomfortable. He began to objectify many of the women that were preforming and really didn't sit right with me. If that was his point, more power to him, but I'm not convinced that was his point.
The first performance I found interesting was this one of a girl of many colors painting a white picture. With how the lighting was set up it looked like they were painting a self portrait but only in white. Perhaps it has to do with people ignoring the attributes that make them unique and instead facing conformity. The movements while not robotic were not careless. Very measured and careful. I'm not sure why, but something about this drew me in; I found my self returning to watch over and over.
The next performer I didn't get a picture of, however I'll do my best to describe it. A girl was on a platform with a lighting fixture hugging it looking almost cold. At first it didn't seem like she was doing much, but after a minute or two of watching uncomfortably she stood up suddenly, walked over stared me straight in the eyes and petted my beard. Then she offered a hug and returned to her place. It felt incredibly odd after the fact. In the moment however, it felt very natural.
I neglected to take a picture of the next performer. Again it was a girl, but she was wearing a only a very thin night gown and was surrounded by sand and three bowls. The first bowl had ice. The second Had salt, the third was water. The girl was chanting, no singing, "No more pain from them." and she would turn to each bowl and pick up the bowl apply it's contents to herself. Which with the salt and ice had left several visible spots. It looked painful, however that was likely what she was going for.
Then there was the girl in the photo above. She looked to be on a picnic with some McDonald's, however she was wearing a black mask with no mouth hole she would chew the McDonald's through the mask and let it fall onto her lap. It made me think about consumerism and how marketing affects us. Unsurprisingly, my socialist classmate I bumped into there was convinced it was about capitalism, which in fairness it probably was.
I do want to mention now that I'm thinking about it about. There was a performer who opened the doors to us that at first I thought was interesting. He was wearing a hot-dog suit and playing some beats on a boom box free-styling the entire show. Mostly about what he saw. At first I was impressed, but then he slowly started making some comments that made me uncomfortable. He began to objectify many of the women that were preforming and really didn't sit right with me. If that was his point, more power to him, but I'm not convinced that was his point.
Finally, that last performer I'll talk about was the one who gave me that poem. She was in a corner applying lipstick repeatedly, but occasionally, she pulled you aside to read a poem out of an oldish looking book. Once done, she would rip the page out and then kiss the page. Then she would resume applying lipstick. It was interesting to watch and she tried to make each poem feel like it was selected for you.
Overall vertigo was well worth the visit. I recommend that everyone who can attend. Don't go in expecting something, but go in to experience it. This vertigo was different than the last, and I'm sure the next one will be different from this one. Vertigo is an experience.
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