Vision & Signs was the 2018 Graduate Show for School of the Damned. Starting at Sluice Gallery, the work exhibited included sculpture, performative essays, drawings, collages, ready-mades, photography and film. Some key pieces that stood out included a cut-together instructional video on how to not look at your reflection, foam sculptures sat effortlessly on swings suspended from the ceiling, a performative essay written and printed pinned up on the wall and a handwritten transcript of an interview with the artist about her sex life and her 'big tits'. Also on the floor of the gallery, a huge pile of collected papers (tickets, receipts, notepad paper, newspaper, stickers, leaflets) all with little scribbled notes on them. The notes were from and to the artist, reminding them to do something or go somewhere or see someone. I stood and read those notes for ages.
After the Sluice Gallery, the students graduating gave out flags, bells and ribbons to the audience members. A student dressed as a town crier comes down the stairs ringing a massive bell and yelling, instructing us to follow him through Hackney into Dalston to the next venue. As we walk the journey to SET Space (a performance space) we stop off in various locations for the town crier to read some poetry and each of the students has to get up on the nearest high object (a half-wall, a tomb, a fence, a bin) and perform a trust fall with the rest of the students catching them. Lots of screaming and clapping ensues.
When we get to SET Space, there is free vegan food being served to the graduates and supporters upon entry. The group heads to the back of the building to the stage where a drag queen presents the event and performs some cabaret numbers with a guy on the piano. The first performance is Liv Fontain, reciting spoken work about becoming a little famous and cleaning the dishes drunk and fucking old men. Next is a Brexit-themed drag queen, Brendan Curtis-Burton, with a crown and British flag pouring a ring of salt around themselves, reciting a poem into the microphone while humping it; telling us he was worried about his Pomeranian dog having worms and then how he wants to fuck his dog and that Brexit is a terrible idea and he misses Princess Diana. After, we get a trip tease performance by a mailman-turned-angel covered in glitter.
I filmed the performances (for safe-keeping) and have never seen performance art live that made me feel so intensely and laugh so hard. The evening was beautiful and ended with the graduates all up on the stage with champagne and big hugs.
Below is the performative essay pinned to the wall.
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