A day at the sea

The dance of the receptors #13
Copenhagen, Denmark 2023
Friisland – Center for Performance
Invited by LiveArt Denmark (Ellen Friis and Hendrik Vestergaard)
Duration: 35 minutes
Photographs by Monika Deimling

Context:
The Friisland Center for Performance is located in Nordhavn, a port and industrial area in Copenhagen, Denmark.

In the north of Nordhavn, the organization Live Art Denmark (Ellen Friis and Hendrik Verstergaard) has found a place for its performance-related activities. Exhibitions, live performances, and art projects are presented and realized here.

The performance took place not far from the Friisland Center at the waterfront. There, a strikingly elongated wall of huge stones forms the border to the sea. From the stone wall, one can see Malmö in Sweden on the horizon. People use this spot to hang out, fish, and swim. In the bay smaller boats anchored.

The performance took place in a section of the prominent stone wall. Because of the massive stones, walking and working on them became part of the performative action structure.

Description of actions:
A collage of performance images and sounds is created by executing the following actions with selected material.

– Standing at the bottom of the stone wall holding a stick with a thin white string attached [Standing still like a person fishing.], while the audience comes to the performance.
– Reeling in the string to which a small silver bell is attached. [The bell starts chiming as soon as it comes out of the water.] Ringing the bell for a while by pulling the string.
– Climbing the stone wall to the chair and moving it attached to strings connected to a guide cross over the stones to the door.
– Lightning a straw circle that is attached to the door. [The circle burns and turns the white door black where the flames are touching its surface.]
– Taking two silver plates and wiggling on a stone back and forth. [The sound of the rock is audible, the circle is still burning.]
– Taking the basket off the table, filling it with seawater and placing it back on the table. [Red pigment is placed under the white tablecloth, which turns the cloth red as soon as the leaking water from the basket mixes with it.]
– Painting the shirt with yellow paint.
– Painting a red cross on the door.
– Tying a yellow and red beak over the nose and mouth; With two sticks carrying the white curtain behind the back. [A bird-like figure slowly stilts over the stone wall.]
– Carrying the door and chair down to the shore; Placing the door in the water like a raft and placing the chair on the door; Lighting a yellow smoke torch and pushing the structure out to sea. [The yellow smoke floats lightly over the water.]
– Throwing the silver bell into the sea and standing at the bottom of the stone wall. [Standing still like a person fishing.]