Mark Richards. Live Art Performance. Croft Castle. May 1st – 3rd 2010
LATEST NEWS: The performance has begun. Mark is currently in situ and gifts have already started to arrive. Check the Documentary section on this site for live updates and pictures throughout the weekend…
Make of me what you will………….
At dawn on May 1st 2010, I will stand naked in a clearing near Croft Castle. For 3 days I will be dependent upon others for my survival. Visitors are invited to provide me with objects for shelter and clothing, shoe me and make provision for my welfare, culture and occupation. In addition to clothing and materials, I will need regular supplies of food and water. In exchange, I will make drawings and writings on and with materials given to me and these will be available for visitors to take away.
So please come and participate by bringing whatever you feel will both sustain me and enhance this event.
The site will be organised in the following way: signs will direct visitors from the Croft Castle car park to the site. Visitors can walk from the track into the woodland, but the live art area will be separated by a boundary that I hope will not be crossed. All will be visible from this boundary. On the boundary will be two exchange counters, one signed Offer at which visitors are asked to leave objects for my survival and occupation and the other, Accept, where visitors may find writings or drawings to take away.
Unless moved to do so, I will not communicate verbally for the duration of the performance.
The three days will be structured as follows:
- Saturday will be given over primarily to clothing and shelter making. Visitors are asked to bring materials, on which I will be entirely reliant to complete these essentials. I will endeavour to construct my shelter in as aesthetically pleasing a manner as possible, but will be able to do this only with what I am provided. The same goes for my clothes.
- Sunday and Monday will be primarily for the making of artwork.
The aim of this live art performance is to explore my dependency upon those around me and the extent to which I am the product of my culture’s dreams, preferences and limitations.
The car park at Croft Castle is free of charge and visitors to my performance will not be charged passage if bearing gifts. However, entrance fees to the castle will apply.
This event will end at 5 pm on Monday 3rd May and is documented on the website www.enduranceart.co.uk where there is a facility for visitors to post comments and read more about the ideas behind and generated by this live art performance.
This will culminate in ‘Tell it to the Trees’, a day of Performance Art at Croft Castle on 3rd May, organized by Meadow Arts www.meadowarts.org and curated by Lee Hassall and Anne de Charmant
