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POSSUM

2003

An opossum is a small marsupial that plays dead to avoid danger.

The performance in the art gallery plays with the conflict between sculptural and dramatic imperatives. It is half way between an installation and an event. Tension is created by the shock of sudden animation or a repeated phrase that punctuated long silences. It is a series of minimal, potentially explosive tableaux vivants Half-gestures and expressions are arrested as if the performers are struck with fear or doubt, or a degree of self-consciousness that petrifies them. They could co-exist as long as no one makes a sudden movement or addresses anyone directly. Eye contact could be enough to cause a violent collapse.

CAPITALS, Fundacao Calouste Gulbenkian, Centro de Arte Moderna, Portugal 2002; Sala de Exposicoes Temporarias do Camjap, Lisbon, September, 2003

Performed by Pedro Almeida, Carla Cabanas, Diana Conde, Marilia Maria Mira, Teresa Prima, Rita Raposo, Fernando Ribeiro, Pietro Romani, Isobel Salgado, Ligia Soares



Photo: Gary Stevens