Imbolc
Area A, Berlin
Photography by Jara Lopez
Videography by Amnon Bikovsky
Imbolc was performed at in Berlin Germany at Area A, as part of Still Life, a series of exhibitions combining performance with physical art works and installations. The work featured a score by Laura Tack featuring vocals by Emma Kallan. Alongside the performance I presented an offering of homemade thorn branches and edible grape leafs and Dolma purchased from Kreuzberg’s Turkish Market.
For this performance I created a ceremonial tableau that sought to address mutation and alchemical transformation. The body is cleansed with spiral of ice and the cavity of my jumpsuit is filled with floras. My skin is fused with petals and eucalyptus as I stitch them into the palm of my hand. These non-rehearsed actions of purification and modification coincide with Imbolc, a traditional Gaelic festival marking the beginning of spring. Occurring halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, Imbolc was originally a pagan festival of the goddess Brigid that became Christianized as the festival of Saint Brigid. Rituals involving divination, feasts, fire and purification mark this festival.
