Action: The audience encounters the artist sitting upon an existing wall bench within the space, and a wall with four equally-spaced yellow shelves placed in a straight line, each holding a clay pot with a hanging plant, a basket of oranges, a black candle holder with a beige candle and a metallic jug. Once audience members have settled into space, he gets up and walks under the first shelf that is placed at the exact height as the artist’s. As his head touches the shelf’s bottom, the artist raises his right arm and reaches for the plant’s leaves. Cutting leaves one by one and allowing for them to fall onto the floor, he holds onto the last one and enters into space. The artist moves amongst audience members and stands next to viewers in order to inspect their bodies with his gaze and to compare their shoulder height. Once the artist has found a viewer that is of the same height, he hands them the cut leaf and invites them with a hand gesture to place themselves under the first shelf. The artist moves under the second shelf and raises his right hand to grab an orange, which he then attempts to eat without peeling it first. Once he has digested the complete orange, he grabs another one and moves into the audience. Finding another viewer of similar height, he hands them the orange and places them under the shelf. Looking for a third viewer of similar height, the artist places the viewer opposite the shelf. The artist stands under the shelf and finds a lighter from his trousers’ pocket, whilst reaching for the candle placed above his head. The artist requests the viewer’s guidance in lighting the candle, as he attempts to blindly reach the candlewick. Once they have succeeded in lighting the flame, the artist hands the lighter to the viewer and places them under the shelf. Standing under the fourth shelf, the artist raises his left arm and grabs the handle of the metallic jug, attempting to pour its content onto the shelf. Water flows out of the jug, alongside the shelf’s edges and onto the floor, before placing the jug back on the shelf. The artist finds another audience member of similar height, cleans their forehead with water from the shelf’s surface and places them under it. In all attempts to position audience members under the shelf, the artist adjusts the viewer’s height to the shelf through diverse actions, such as taking off their shoes, allowing for them to step onto the shoes of others or tying their hair into an upwards bun. As all four human ‘columns’ are complete, the artist goes back to the second shelf, places the basket into the viewer’s hands and removes the shelf from the wall. He places the rectangular shelf onto his head and attempts to exit the gallery’s space by balancing it onto his head.

Tall & Vertical

Performance / Part of "Zero Gravity - International Performance Art Festival" curated by Beau Coleman + organised by Mile Zero Dance / Latitude53 Gallery / Edmonton - CA / May - 2019 / Duration: 40'

Material: artist’s body, 4 yellow shelves, clay pot, plant, basket, oranges, black candle holder, candle, lighter, metallic jug, water, audience members

Photo: Alexandra Zierle