2024
Revisions to Spite Hereand Now, Performance ArtFestival.Ennistymon A person in a red dress lies on a red couch with a pink facemask big breasts glittering silver high heels holding two big kitchen knives as we walk in them looking at us breathing the knives moving tilts their head swings their legs elegant moves the knifes poses like a skilled fighter labored breathing with the big kitchen knives they start cutting the dress inches from their skin open chest exposed a bra stuffed with ribs raw meat “dirty” they call as they throws the silver heels to the floor replacing them for red ones opens a bottle of wine empties it on their head dirty removing the facemask exposes big plastic lips and a hole for a mouth they sticks a cucumber in slicing it in pieces with the knife swooshing inches in front of their face they take the ribs out places them on their head changing clothes dressing in a pink scarf around the waist spits the lips out strengthens mussels with fitness elastics dresses further a white blouse on a skin sticky with red wine a white straw hat black blazer neat trousers manning-up now buckling up suit and tie a frown on their face breathing strongly gives a dress to a man in the crowd “Put it on.” he obeys on his knees puts it on they, with the suit, put their working boots on the one in the dress gets the scarf. Poetic Performance Impression by Caro Ruoff
Revisions to Spite is a durational performance exploring the violent constructions of gender, desire, and social expectation through deliberate acts of self-transformation. The work begins with the performer reclining on a red couch, adorned in a matching red dress, pink face mask, and glittering silver heels, their chest exaggerated with prosthetic breasts. Two large kitchen knives become extensions of their body – instruments of both threat and precision.
The performance unfolds as a systematic dismantling of feminine artifice. The performer’s breathing becomes labored, theatrical, as they begin cutting away their dress with surgical precision, each slice bringing the blade dangerously close to skin. The revelation of a bra stuffed with raw meat ribs transforms the feminine form into something visceral and abject. Wine poured over their head creates a baptism of sorts – a christening into “dirtiness” that society projects onto certain bodies.
The removal of the face mask exposes grotesque plastic lips and a mouth reduced to void, which the performer fills with cucumber before slicing it away with knife strokes that blur the line between self-care and self-harm. The raw meat ribs become a crown, a parody of both feminine adornment and masculine conquest.
The final transformation sees the performer methodically constructing masculine presentation – pink scarf replaced by white blouse, wine-sticky skin concealed beneath blazer and tie. The “manning-up” sequence becomes both costume change and social ritual, revealing gender as performance requiring constant revision.
Through these deliberate acts of spite against societal expectations, Fabyc creates a space where the violence inherent in gender construction becomes visible, asking what bodies must endure to fit within acceptable presentations of self.
Duration: Approximately 45 minutes Materials: Kitchen knives, raw meat, wine, clothing, prosthetics Documentation: Video, photography
Venue P(art)y Here and Now Festival Courthouse Gallery Ennistymon Ireland
