CATOPTRIARCHS
POW!
PERFORMANCE: CATOPTRIARCHS BY JULIA ABRAHAM+JAMIE MATECHUK
CURATED BY NATASHA BAILEY
FOLD GALLERY, LONDON UK
11 JUNE 2011
DESCRIPTION
Based on the Borgesian story further narrated by Christian Bök, the performance examines the praxis of the Catoptriarchs specifically of mirrored perception and inverted written manuscripts.[1] The performance is collaboration between Julia Abraham and Jamie Matechuk, and is based on the act of perception, from inside out - to outside in, using two-way mirrors. The attempt to show internal sight is embedded throughout Abraham’s practice, yet this work aims to show both sides of sight simultaneously. By following the Catoptriarch’s practice of seeing the world solely through the reflection in a mirror, Abraham will construct a mirrored-headpiece where she can see out from behind the glass and the one looking at the artist will see a reflection of themselves; thus exactly seeing what she is seeing. The act of ingesting sight and experience is central to this work, thus to heighten this idea further Abraham will place a video camera inside the glass headpiece that will be able to document exactly what she is looking at. The performance will be based on the reading of a text conceptualized and written by Matechuk from within the glass house, however the text will be in the style and form of traditional Catoptriarch writing; that is mirrored text resembling a prismatic alphabet. Abraham will sit in front of the computer adorning the headpiece so that the live video image from the ISight will capture a front view of her and the live fed internally recorded video image from within the glass will be fed into the computer, therein allowing both sides of vision placed side by side on the screen. The full screen shot will be the output image that will stream to the POW event site. The audio of the performance will be the reading of the mirrored text, ultimately creating a sound experiment where narrative content is completely subverted and the prismatic alphabet will sound through the mirrors creating an illegible and non-sense prose.
[1] Christian Bok, ‘Enantiomorphosis’ Crystallography. Toronto: Coach House Press, 2003, 142. The Catoptriarchs were a possible fictional Slavonic sect of Christian Gnostics from 711-777 AD.
