2019
Performance, 30min.
Presence Isn’t a Conspiracy looks at acts of walking, standing, and occupying space, and how society controls how bodies move in public. The performance uses a simple setup: a single rope hangs from the ceiling to form a loop just above the floor, and a microphone hangs high overhead, forcing the performer to tilt their head upward to speak. By stepping into and balancing on this unstable rope, the performer physically acts out the constant effort it takes to keep our ground.
The performance connects personal reflections on walking with the history of how the modern city regulates bodies in public space. It talks about the invention of the “mug shot”, historical laws that forced working-class people to constantly “move along”, along with the development of urban anxieties as the public space becomes larger and busier. Moving between fast-paced storytelling and moments of physical vulnerability, Presence Isn’t a Conspiracy frames the simple act of standing still and looking back as a powerful form of survival and a refusal to be invisible.
Photos by Vera Mennens
Presented as part of I Need A Rhythm at At7, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2019.