Embodying Entanglement explores how abjection and affect can be used to speak through experiences of trauma that have been rendered ineffable. Godden engages her own brown body with materials such as curry powder, chilli powder, flour, hair, collections of eggshells, and pomegranates in unconventional ways to convey the clash between catharsis and repression. Through live and video performances the mouth and body are used to blend spice and flour, while the mouth is used to chew and spit out large mounds of eggshells, masticate pomegranates, and continuously open to reveal a large accumulation of hair. Godden’s body becomes entangled with culturally significant materials to construct the brown body’s means of voicing trauma. Entanglement materialises through this series of works as each of the materials come into contact with the body and the body makes contact with the materials. Each of the materials become intrinsically bound to the body through absorption into the pores and through swallowing, while saliva and sweat fuse to the reconstituted materials resulting from the performative processes.
Performance times:
Purge –
7pm Opening Night, Friday 12 January
Cartography –
5pm Friday 19 January
Image: Cartography, 2017. 15 min live performance, kitchen table, black dress, brown body, curry powder, chili powder, flour, two chairs. Photograph by Kelvin Lau.