Wszystko będzie dobrze

(Everything is going to be alright) “The dance of the receptors #5”
Bydgoszcz, Poland 2022
Młyny Rothera
Invited by Fundacija Czarny Karzeł, Grzegorz Pleszynski
Duration: 24 minutes
Photographs by Monika Deimling

Context:

The historic landmark Młyny Rothera, situated in the heart of Bydgoszcz, Poland, is a distinctive brick building surrounded by the Brda River. Located on an island at the centre of the city, it has undergone years of careful renovation before reopening as a cultural space featuring exhibitions and performances.

The artistic programme was curated by the Art Foundation Czarny Karzeł, which also organises the renowned art festival Oko nigdy nie śpi in Bydgoszcz. Through its curatorial vision, the foundation “Czarny Karzeł” provides a platform for both emerging and established artists, creating spaces where performance, visual art, and interdisciplinary practices shape a vital meeting point for artists and audiences alike.

The performance took place outside Młyny Rothera, on the wooden terrace. Alongside my performance, Polish artist Julia Kurek also presented her work as part of the opening event.

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

– Entering the action field with branches to which orange letters are attached; showing a hand-painted white to the audience.
– Painting the head and face white.
– Shaking the branches, increasing the action of shaking from gentle to strong. [The letters rattle and fall to the floor one by one.]
– Sitting down at the table and lighting wood wool on a white plate; Sliding slowly on the chair to the floor and sitting down again. [The action is repeated a few times while the flames on the plate move in the wind.]
– Climbing onto the table and moving the chair to the other side of the table, which is attached by ropes to a puppet cross.
– Repeating the actions from the first position at the table.
– Tying yellow flowers in front of the face.
– Collecting the orange letters and putting them in the gaps of the wooden floor.
– Tying a wooden frame on the shirt; cutting along the frame at the top and bottom of the shirt; finally unbuttoning the shirt.
– Using blue and white paint, painting a sky on the bare visible part inside the frame.
Remove the flowers from the face and pin them to the bottom of the frame.
– Light two smoke torches placed under the table in two blue children’s boots. [White and red smoke will rise.]
– Place the chair on the table and sit on it. With a violin bow, slowly stroke my face, spreading yellow paint. [The smoke flies in all directions.]
– Removing the letters “b-ę-d-z-i-e”. [The meaning of the sentence changes from “everything will be fine” to “everything is fine”.]
– Taking the doll dress, leaving the scene, and waving it to the audience.

After the performance with Ola Kozioł.