DISCOMFORT LAB AIMS TO LIVE UP TO ANXIOUS NAME
Theatrical event promises to defy expectations with a ‘peephole into unacknowledged realities’
Even if you go to Swallow-a-Bicycle’s Discomfort Lab expecting the unexpected, you might just be in for the theatrical surprise of your life.
At least that’s what artistic directors Charles Netto and Mark Hopkins hope will happen.
Whatever you do, don’t stumble into Discomfort Lab unprepared. As all the press material stresses, this theatrical event will “defy the expectations of a normal theatregoing experience” as it provides “a peephole into unacknowledged realities.”
I was intrigued enough to want to speak to one of the six artists participating in this “fearless, weird, stark, funny, honest and intimate” theatrical experience.
When Discomfort Lab takes over the First on Colour warehouse at 536 9th Ave. S.E. from Nov. 23 to 26 there will be four pieces on display. Audrey Lane Cockett and Genevieve Pare are working on what they describe as “a multidisciplinary performance installation that seeks to crack open the wild in our guarded urban souls.” Jay Northcott promises to explore “how blackness defined him before he knew it could” with his “open conversation about blackness, queerness and humanity all in three-inch heels.” Hayley Feigs and Justin Many Fingers are working on a “sensory collage of art” inspired by their “lived experiences of shame and discomfort.”
Over in Vancouver is Katie Sly who is working on a new performance art piece called How to Self- Suspend, about “the chemical impact of long-term trauma on the brain and body and the instinct for revenge.”
I talked to Sly about BDSM ( bondage, discipline, dominance and submission) which is a central theme of Self- Suspend and of her current lifestyle in Vancouver.
One thing Sly will not be bound by is conventional pronouns, preferring instead more gender-neutral references such as they, them and their.
Sly says, when completed, Self-Suspend will chart a personal journey from being raised in Montreal through a sexually daring and promiscuous period in Toronto, on to Vancouver and a fulfilling life in a like-minded community. When the piece is completed there might even be some actual hanging from the rafters.
“It’s probably safe to say I’m going to present the first act of Self-Suspend when I come to Calgary. That means talking about growing up anglophone in Montreal on welfare in an abusive home and learning to build survival strategies.
“I believe that once violence is poured into your body, it stays there. To cope, you have to find ways to manifest that violence.”
Early on, it was through toys that Sly dealt with the abusive home life.
“As a very small child, I began tying up my toys. From there, it was a normal progression to want to be tied up.”
Sly says participating in Discomfort Lab is a brave venture and not because Self- Suspend is autobiographical.
“Swallow-a-Bicycle said they wanted never-before-seen pieces that would be challenging and disquieting.
“I jumped at the opportunity, as did the other artists. It’s terrifying to do something like this because our pieces will be raw and untested and that’s why we are all so nervous.”
Sly says the worst thing that could befall Self- Suspend is that it might be boring. “I don’t care if it is considered offensive, problematic or weird. All those options are better than it being boring. I think that is how we are all feeling.”
Sly has performed in Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria and New York with video art featured in Berlin. In 2016, Sly’s play Serenity Wild won Major Matt Mason’s Canadawide playwriting competition. It had a reading that same year at Sage Theatre’s Ignite! Festival and was produced in Toronto at the Summerworks Festival.
Like the first act of Self- Suspend that Sly will unveil through Discomfort Lab, Serenity Wild deals with coming to terms with an abusive childhood.
It’s terrifying to do something like this because our pieces will be raw and untested and that’s why we are all so nervous.