Claire de Lune

2014
Performance at the International Meeting of Performance Art in Québec City
Photos by Emmanuelle Duret

I am in a dark theatre, suspended by a harness and hanging from above. I wait for the audience to fill the space then I am slowly lowered down to the ground into a spotlight shone from two upright posts that I stand between. I unhook myself from the harness and walk towards the audience where there is a switch on the floor. I turn the switch off and we are left in the silent darkness of the space. I walk towards an arrangement of approximately thirty objects that I have prepared. I have memorized their locations so I may find them in the dark. Included in this assortment is a gentle dog who's specific role is to eat her dinner. I take each object or combination of objects and place them in the area of the unlit spotlight. I return to the switch, turn it on, and look at the arrangement for the first time in unison with the audience. I turn the lights off and repeat this object narrative. In the darkness I make a soundtrack using power tools, a bell, the rustling of materials, and other object-exclamations. The sound that is heard before the tableau is seen creates a sense of expectation in the audience - yet what each individual imagines in the dark is met with an unexpected display in the light.