Today marks the first anniversary of my ongoing performance piece Tragedy Responsibility Injury Pain. I launched TRIP in Walton in the North of Liverpool as I wished to take this innovative work to the regions before bringing it to capital. It began with me dashing myself onto a normally busy road folding my right arm into my body as I flew. This resulted in the initial crack of my left kneecap, followed swiftly by my body weight landing onto my right wrist causing it to fracture in the shape of my ribs. I lay there unable to lift myself from the road waiting for a car to come, with two women urging me to ‘GET OUT OF THE ROAD’. Fortunately I had an ambulance on standby fifty yards down the hill whereupon my ‘assistants’ carted me off to Fazakerly Hospital. Involving the NHS has been very important to this performance and has included many participants from Nurses, Doctors, an Anaesthetist, Tea Lady, Cleaners, a bunch of old ladies, my niece Stefanie Cinnamon Young and sisters Philomena Young, Stella Halpin and my old Ma of course. I then brought the piece to London in the back of an ambulance wearing my signature leg brace and plaster. This stage of the performance took me to Homerton Hospital where I worked closely with the Fracture Clinic and Physiotherapy Department over four and a half months. An evaluation of this stage of TRIP allowed me to take my work to a wider public and medical professions, including my local surgery.
Part two of TRIP was again staged in Liverpool on 27th December by me sliding very slowly on an iced up metal grid at ten in the evening, breaking a bone in my right wrist. The participants included my sister and my dog. I felt it necessary to include canines as an under represented minority that has little or no access to performance art. I took the piece back to Fazakerly Hospital and moved it consequently to Homerton in East London. This stage of the performance took place over six weeks involving bone specialists, bus drivers and blood clinics.
The final performance of TRIP took place on 30th May again with my launching myself onto a busy road this time with a taxi hurtling toward me. With a participant shouting STOP THERE’S A LADY IN THE ROAD’ the taxi driver didn’t stop but I managed get scraped up off the road just in time. This event was taken the next day to Homerton where I engaged medical professionals, X Ray department and Hospital Porters. I came away with a broken ankle, broken bone in my hand, a wooden walking stick and an air boot. Participants in this piece included friends with cars and food.
I feel that TRIP has been vital in engaging both the public and the medical profession in an interactive piece that has taken performance art to a wider audience Throughout the year I have taken TRIP to a Wedding, three Memorial Services, a New Year’s Eve party and a Fortieth Birthday Weekend where it has been received with much success. TRIP can be seen at Sunday’s Art Car Boot Fair with The Outside World All Stars.
TRIP ends in two weeks time with the binning of the boot and taking the stick to The Scout Shop. The performance will not be repeated in the near future.
