Colour Bleed MapFest 2017

25 Nov 2017 : Melaka Arts and Performance Festival, Bukit St Paul, Melaka, Malaysia

In this performance I symbolically bleed colour to represent mixed cultural origins and identity, to represent multiple relationships and origins. The liquids gush from the bags, like bodily fluids pouring out, bile, urine, blood, puss, digestive juices. Momentarily make beautiful what is unappealing, combine on the white fabric ground before merging into a brown sludge. Inspired by the take-away drinks in plastic bags that are ubiquitous in parts of Southeast Asia, I use coloured liquids to reference blood performances and Action Painting. Whilst Performance Artists often use their own blood to emphasise inner identity and human fragility, my performance is an imaginary blood-letting ritual styled on a fashion parade of sorts, a “United Colours”. This work takes inspiration from the early bleeding performances by Performance Artist Franko B, who developed a stylized catwalk mode of presentation. But whilst there is sensationalism and risk in blood performances, my concerns are also with the mundane and with issues of waste and pollution and the excess of fashion hype and promotional politics. With many bags of coloured water suspended from my body I invite the audience to puncture the bags and release the flow of liquid. The total volume is equivalent to my body weight and the colours pour over my white costume. This “cloak of many colours” is a reference to the Biblical tale of Joseph’s multicoloured coat. Materials: liquid food colouring dyes mixed with water, plastic bags, string, plastic hose, buckets, white costume, 20 metre white fabric walkway, bamboo toothpicks.