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amira.h. Unfinished Performance In Three Parts The Lounge Gallery, South Australian School of Art Season closed  Amira.h.'s
'Unfinished Performance In Three Parts' was not a trilogy of performances
from this artist, but rather a series of three tasks designed by the
artist for the audience (soon to be participants) to undertake. Three
hanging wedding dresses, alive with frills and lace, a table with
scissors and a collection of bags that usually house wedding cake
(but not this time) were set out ready for the tasks upon arrival.
Wedding culture is steeped in symbolism, tradition, ceremony and expectation. Around this event, that has become a major industry, there are also a lot of no-nos. One would expect that cutting up a wedding dress, playing and making with its fabric and then distributing it elsewhere (as per the individual instructions) could be regarded as not the done thing. As with many tasks of a rebellious nature, the act of participating was liberating, yet slightly disconcerting. While the participants cut, some preferring to tear and hack, at the wedding dresses, amira.h. silently and methodically cut wedding dress shards into small squares of fabric. As evident in the artist statement and seen throughout the performance, for amira.h., it seemed that this destruction was like the exorcising of sadness about a fantasy or tradition that wouldn't take place. Dressed in a black and white dress -a mixture of intricate lacework and puffy sleeves contrasted with heavy black dress and gloves- a feeling of wedding celebration and love met with mourning and loss. After cutting off the third wedding dress' arm and ripping it into spidery tendrils I left the gallery to release the contents of my tagged bag at the designated bus stop. Three tasks done.  |
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