Toward the Unknown Body: Stillness, Silence, and Space in Mental Health Settings

Abstract

As a physically disabled performance artist who has spent thirteen years exploring physical and dance theatre, I have attempted to find new ways of creating performances with people who are living in pain, people with cancer, and older people. In my work, the need to evade, play with, or subvert the meanings of bodies--whether gendered, disabled, racial, or class-based--has been paramount. Initially, my practice focused on creating stage performances inspired by Brecht, Artaud, and the aesthetics of performance art. Recently, however, my community performance work has become increasingly process-based. I now conceive of it as an ongoing intervention rather than as a progression toward a traditional stage performance.