g2ku
(getting to know you)
artist statement
Getting to know you is getting to know me.
Presented at “IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD AND MY EYES ARE BLEEDING AND MY MOUTH IS FALLING OUT” by PixelMouth, “g2ku” demonstrated the development and collapse of a relationship- an intangible yet extremely impactful element to our own inner worlds.
“g2ku” is not a performance on one kind of relationship. It’s a demonstration of the process.
Discovery, curiosity, learning, acceptance.
Healing, defining, owning, neglecting, rejecting.
Self-reflection, comparison, anxiety, and preservation.
Bonding, binding, supporting, and separation.
It’s the end of the world as I know it.
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2 raw cow hearts (1 opened, 1 closed)
needle and thread
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Duration: 5 hours, with a 24 hour fast before presentation.
The artist is faced with an open heart wrapped in plastic. Over the course of 5 hours, the artist is tasked with getting to know their performance partner - that is, a raw cow heart.
Overcoming the discomfort of disgust and curiosity matched with fear, the artist grows comfort, affection, and respect for their open cow heart. They sew it shut with a needle and thread, giving it legible shape and beauty.
Introducing the second heart, the artist’s heart, from a freezer, the artist squares up the two organs - comparing and contrasting their details and unique characteristics.
the artist practices listening, soothing, and protecting both hearts. Eventually, theyre sewn together into a 12 pound mass.
the artist acts as a support beam, lifting the hearts for up to 110 seconds over head approximately 10x. once the artist exhausts themself, they rest both of the hearts on their torso.
recognizing that good times must end, the artist seperates the two forms with a cathartic cry until the connection is broken.
The artist’s heart is returned to the freezer to await it’s next connection.
