Performance 2005-2007
Dressage: 7,437 Kisses was a 7.5-hour performance art piece in which I was dressed in a business suit, applied red lipstick, and kissed a white wall in straight vertical lines. Using a step stool, I started at the top and moved downward until I was lying flat on the floor in order to complete the line of lipstick imprints. Over time, the lines of kisses become less straight, and my face becomes smeared with red lipstick, creating an almost violent appearance with the skin on my nose and chin rubbed raw. The title "Dressage" alludes to the equestrian practice of precise, controlled movements, symbolizing the discipline and control exerted over individuals in professional environments.
In Work Week, five TV screens display surveillance footage of the same woman repeatedly applying red lipstick and kissing stacks of white paper. There is a live performance component in which the woman sits in the corner of a room, shredding the same stacks of paper filled with kisses. The shredded paper forms a growing pile in the centre of the room. This piece explores the monotony and futility of office work and bureaucracy. The growing pile of shredded paper represents the accumulation of meaningless tasks in "professional life." The surveillance footage underscores the lack of privacy and constant monitoring in modern work environments, highlighting the performative aspect of labour.
Both pieces use repetitive actions and the body's physicality to critique labour, control, and the intersection of femininity within professional and bureaucratic contexts. Dressage: 7,437 Kisses, was presented in various venues in Canada and the USA, including in Detroit, MI, at the 2006 Women's & Gender Studies Biennial.
