Theory

Thank you for visiting this blog. If you are reading this, it is a result of your curiousity or my invitation - either way, I invite you to explore the postings, post and comment, or write to me at seamline.experience@gmail.com if you have any questions.

In developing and living with this work, I have been influenced by/interacted with/studied or reacted to:

Randy Lee Cutler - http://www.eciad.ca/~rcutler
Margaret Dragu - http://www.blogger.com/profile/10989793051684908862
check out La Dragu if you can get your hands on it (YYZ press, Paul Couillard,ed.)
Todd Janes - www.latitude53.org
Christine Stoddard
Susan Stewart
Derrida - on blindness
Antonin Artaud - the theatre of pain
Marina Abramavic - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marina_Abramovic#Selected_early_works.
Linda Montano
Carolee Schneemann
Peg Campbell
Naufus Figueroa
April Davis
Jonathan Tyrrell
Harry Killas - in spite of himself
Rodney Konapeki

Readings:

The Spiritual In Art:Abstract Painting, 1890-1985
By Maurice Tuchman et al, 1995

The Amenable Object,
Jeanne Randolph

Never Enough is Something Else
Kristine Stiles

The end of the beginning

The 13th session was a five hour marathon of re-touching the line - Teresa re-tattood 75% of the line. I flew Christine and Teresa to Visualeyez in Edmonton, hired a group of free jazz musicians, and proceeded to have an incredible experience at the festival.
Unfortunately documentation of that performance was lost - but these shots, takend after session 12 and before 13, as well as the promotional shots from the postcard and poster, give a good synopsis of the finished line.

The festival changed my life. I became friends with Margaret Dragu and finally claimed my space as a live artist.























I have forsaken anonymity for a lifetime commitment to discussing live art.

April 25, 2004

Ally Cat made me a seamline doll for this 12th session, my 35th birthday.

Sandra Semchuk looks on, and beyond her, a big reason that this session truly encompassed contemporary ritual - the vocal stylings of Maya Suess and friends as they improvised acapella in response to my bursts of adrenaline.


Grethchen Elsner attempts to balance me out.


Lisa Barilla and Sarah Hunter get their fill of the bloodiest moments.

Folks on the other side ask for a peek; I oblige. By this point I am shivering with adrenaline, and for the first and only time, cry, completely unencumbered.




The shyest look from a distance.

The cresendo approaches and arrives.

March 3, 2004

A scheduling conflict leads me to move the last two sessions to the south building Atrium at Emily Carr Institute. This session would later become known as the media circus, with a vidoegrapher and City TV competing with my usual team of 3 - 5 documenters for image capture.



My sister, six months pregnant.



Food was important all along; by this point my catering skills had reached a crescendo.













The Art General, Heidi Taylor।









Surprizing fact: saran wrap is the best material for bandaging a tattoo।

February 4, 2004

Lucienne captivates us with her bass clarinet, Christine witnesses my eyes turning orange in response to the pain, and this becomes the closest we get to sublime until the end. We did not know it then, but it would be the last session at the HAG.

January 7, 2004

Artaud would have approved. When you mix a full moon with a new year, an Armenian Italian accordian player doing renditions of Hungarian gypsy music, a Georgian alien with a light-weight drinker who did not have dinner that day.... .


... people clap....


... and dance...


... and end up on the floor.


Joel surveys the results of his labour.

December 10, 2003

Ode to the Foot. Janet Noade composes a peice on piano for this last session of 2003.


Ally Cat Crawford documents Janet, though not as intently as she will in later sessions.

In background, Bill Richardson. I met Bill sitting outside of the HAG the previous performance. His two beautiful white dogs charmed me utterly, and that lead him to ask what was up with my line. One thing led to another....


....and the day they broadcast his interview of me on Richardson's Roundup, BC Ferries went on strike. I did hear from folks in other provinces that they had listened in.

November 19, 2003 LIVE

This was a special edition - also included in the program of LIVE Biennial of Performance Art - the third of Vancouver's loosely defined festival.



Heightened sensation due to the sheer number of people, or due to the stakes? Hard to konw, now, but it looks as though Christine had her doubts.





Ron Tran (former classmate), David Young (LIVE festival director) and Denise Sheppard (music critic and activist), amongst others, look on.


The fabulous Heather Kennedy. I am still in shock that she attended, and loved having her there. Never underestimate people's capacity to appreciate and understand performance art.




Maya Suess greets and comforts.


Randy Lee Cutler, Erica Stocking and Ron Tran ruminate afterwards. Randy played an excellent devil's advocate to this work - she pointed me to Artaud, Marina Abramovic and Phaidon's collection on art and spirituality - crucial to understanding my relationship to this peice.

October 15, 2003

I welcomed people to this session, known as 'the bridge', with a definate sense of humour.




Strategically placed sticky cloth kept this session g-rated. Penelope Mulligan likened the atmosphere to that of childbirth with midwife, (with a lot less blood and no full nudity).



To lighten things up, I made a colouring book in advance, which was used to great effect by the audience.



I had implicit trust of Teresa before, but this sealed the deal.



The 100% most painful moment in the entire series - over the pubic bone.



The incomprable Gretchen Elsner played free form viola in one of the most contemporary musical expressions during the run.



My connection with my musicians was at times palpable, others not as much. This one was a stand out.



Not long now, and my anticipation is evident.


By this point a surprising fact came to light - I had regulars who attended. It was unexpected but welcome. Seen here, Sarah Hunter and Shawn Robinson who each attended at least four, look on with Lisa Grey and Penelope Mulligan.